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The System Of The Human Body

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The integumentary system plays an intrinsic role in the function of the human body. The system is made up of the skin and skin derivatives such as hair, nails, glands and receptors and provides the body with a line of defence against foreign, infectious pathogens (Moore et al., 2013). The skin is the most vulnerable organ to injury and disease as it is an external organ and the largest organ of the body, contributing to approximately 15% of the body’s weight (Hackman, 2014). The skin also helps to maintain homeostasis in the body as well as containing the body’s structures, disposing of unwanted body wastes and regulating the body’s temperature (3).
Two main layers constitute the structure of the skin: the epidermis and dermis (McLafferty et al., 2012). When the cells that compose these layers are damaged in some way, for example by UV radiation, the cells can begin to mutate uncontrollably and form malignant tumours (Skin Cancer Foundation, 2014). If not treated in its early stages, skin cancer can develop in a subject and lead to a failure of the integumentary system. When an organ such as the skin fails, it will go into a state of complete dysfunction causing damaged thermoregulatory control, hemodynamic changes and metabolic complications (Inamadar & Palit, 2005).

Figure 1. An Illustration of the layers that make up the human skin (Know your own skin, n.d.).
If the integumentary system stopped performing its expected functions, such as protecting the body from

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