NURS 4500 - Integumentary System Questions And
100% Correct Answers 2024-2025
Epidermis- Thin avascular superficial layer of skin
- Composed of outer dead cornified portion providing protective barrier
Melanocytes- Contain melanin, the pigment that gives color to skin and hair and protects
body from damaging effects of UV sunlight
- The more melanin produced the darker the skin color
- Tanning however does causes extreme damage to melanocytes and skin
Keratinocytes - Answer - Produce fibrous protein, keratin
- Found in nails and hair
- Increased keratin w/ hypoxia in pts w/ cystic fibrosis and heart failure causes clubbed
nails
Dermis - Answer - Connective tissue below epidermis
- Thickness varies between 1-4mm
- Very vascular
- Collagen forms greatest part of dermis and is responsible for the skin's mechanical
strength
Subcutaneous tissue - Answer - Lies below dermis and isn't part of skin
- Attached to muscle and bone
- Has loose connective tissue, fat cells present in the skin provide insulation
Skin Appendages - Answer - Sebaceous glands excrete oils
,- Apocrine sweat glands
- Eccrine sweat glands
Functions of Integumentary System - Answer - Protects underlying tissues by serving as
a surface barrier to the external environment (Bacteria, viruses, excessive water loss)
- Fat of the subcutaneous layer insulates and protects from trauma
- Sensory perception for external stimuli
- Body temperature regulation
- Excretes water
- Glands that produce sebum and perspiration
- Vitamin D synthesis
Age Related Considerations of Integumentary System - Answer - Loss of turgor
- Thin
- Dry
- Rough
- Wrinkled
- Vascular lesions (Spider veins, pooling of blood from standing for long period of time)
- Fragility of skin
- Benign tumors
Assessment of Integumentary System: Inspection - Answer - Temperature
- Turgor and mobility
- Moisture
- Texture
- Generalized color and pigmentation
- Vascularity
, - Bruising
- Lesions or discolorations
- Unusual odors
Physical Exam of Integumentary System - Answer Assess all skin (Skin folds, under
abdomen, breasts, and genital area)
- Assess erythema, rash, cyanosis
- Pigmentation changes (Hypo/hyper-pigmentation)
- Skin color (The darker the skin, the darker the lesion - less risk for skin cancer)
Primary Skin Lesions - Answer Representation of the active disease (Skin cancer)
- Macule
- Papule
- Vesicle
- Plaque
- Wheal
- Pustule
Secondary Skin Lesions - Answer Result of another disease causing it (Psoriasis caused
by Crohn's, Shingles)
- Fissure
- Scale
- Scar
- Ulcer
- Atrophy
- Excoriation
Macule - Answer - Circumscribed, flat area with a change in skin color; <0.5 cm in
100% Correct Answers 2024-2025
Epidermis- Thin avascular superficial layer of skin
- Composed of outer dead cornified portion providing protective barrier
Melanocytes- Contain melanin, the pigment that gives color to skin and hair and protects
body from damaging effects of UV sunlight
- The more melanin produced the darker the skin color
- Tanning however does causes extreme damage to melanocytes and skin
Keratinocytes - Answer - Produce fibrous protein, keratin
- Found in nails and hair
- Increased keratin w/ hypoxia in pts w/ cystic fibrosis and heart failure causes clubbed
nails
Dermis - Answer - Connective tissue below epidermis
- Thickness varies between 1-4mm
- Very vascular
- Collagen forms greatest part of dermis and is responsible for the skin's mechanical
strength
Subcutaneous tissue - Answer - Lies below dermis and isn't part of skin
- Attached to muscle and bone
- Has loose connective tissue, fat cells present in the skin provide insulation
Skin Appendages - Answer - Sebaceous glands excrete oils
,- Apocrine sweat glands
- Eccrine sweat glands
Functions of Integumentary System - Answer - Protects underlying tissues by serving as
a surface barrier to the external environment (Bacteria, viruses, excessive water loss)
- Fat of the subcutaneous layer insulates and protects from trauma
- Sensory perception for external stimuli
- Body temperature regulation
- Excretes water
- Glands that produce sebum and perspiration
- Vitamin D synthesis
Age Related Considerations of Integumentary System - Answer - Loss of turgor
- Thin
- Dry
- Rough
- Wrinkled
- Vascular lesions (Spider veins, pooling of blood from standing for long period of time)
- Fragility of skin
- Benign tumors
Assessment of Integumentary System: Inspection - Answer - Temperature
- Turgor and mobility
- Moisture
- Texture
- Generalized color and pigmentation
- Vascularity
, - Bruising
- Lesions or discolorations
- Unusual odors
Physical Exam of Integumentary System - Answer Assess all skin (Skin folds, under
abdomen, breasts, and genital area)
- Assess erythema, rash, cyanosis
- Pigmentation changes (Hypo/hyper-pigmentation)
- Skin color (The darker the skin, the darker the lesion - less risk for skin cancer)
Primary Skin Lesions - Answer Representation of the active disease (Skin cancer)
- Macule
- Papule
- Vesicle
- Plaque
- Wheal
- Pustule
Secondary Skin Lesions - Answer Result of another disease causing it (Psoriasis caused
by Crohn's, Shingles)
- Fissure
- Scale
- Scar
- Ulcer
- Atrophy
- Excoriation
Macule - Answer - Circumscribed, flat area with a change in skin color; <0.5 cm in
