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The
major functions of this system are protection from environmental
hazards and temperature control.
In
general, aging skin thins as cell activity declines and as the network
of elastic and collagen fibers supporting it decreases. This makes
older people more prone to injury and recurring skin infections, causes
the sagging and wrinkling notorious of aging, and slows skin repair.
Aging
results in a decrease in the melanin pigment in skin, which means older
people are more sensitive to the sun and tend to avoid it. Avoiding
sunlight can cause the production of Vitamin D to decrease by as much
as 75%. This can then result in muscle weakness and a reduction in bone
strength because vitamin D is necessary for functioning of both the
muscular and skeletal systems.
Glandular
activity in the skin decreases and leads to dry, scaly skin. Sweat
glands become less active, and at the same time blood supply to the
skin is decreased. This combination makes the elderly less able to lose
body heat, so overexertion or exposure to extreme temperatures can
cause dangerously high body temperatures.
As you
can see, aging leads to many changes in the skin.
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Fun
fact:
An
organ is defined as a combination of tissues that performs a specific
function or group of functions. So yes, the skin is an organ! As a
matter of fact, it is the largest organ of the body in surface area and
weight!
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Fun
fact:
The
number of melanocytes is about the same in people of all races.
Differences in skin color occur primarily as a result of the amount of
melanin produced by individual melanocytes.
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Not
so fun fact:
Most
of the age-related changes that appear in the skin occur in the dermis,
the deeper layer of skin. Collagen fibers stiffen and elastic fibers
lose their elasticity and clump together, and neither is replaced at an
adequate pace. Consequently, crevices known as wrinkles form as damage
continues.
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