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Biology      Skin biology       Skin accessories

Skin accessories

Skin accessories are called hair and nails, as well as sweat and sebaceous glands that are located close to surface of the skin.

Sweat glands

Sweat glands, also known as the tube shaped glands, produce secretion (sweat). Sweat gland consists of a spiral in which takes place the formation of sweat, and the tube shaped as a trech, which is used for sweat to come out to the skin surface through sweat pores of skin. Sweat glands are located in the whole body, but particularly lots of them are in hand palms, foot soles, pits and forehead skin. Sweat glands are involved in body temperature regulation and metabolic products (waste) removal. Sweat gland activity is affected by intensity of physical exercises, increased temperatures, emotions and some medicines. Sweat release is a subject to the nervous system control. Healthy person discharges daily via the skin pores together with the sweat from 0.5 to 1.0 liters of fluid on average, but the maximum sweat discharge could be up to up to 4 liters or more. Besides up to 98 percent of water, sweat contains urine, fatty acids, magnesium, calcium oxide and other components.

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1 - sweat gland opening in the skin surface.
2 - epidermis.
3 - sweat gland and its cross-section.
4 - sweat gland tube.
5 - sweat gland spiral basis.

Sebaceous glands

Sebaceous glands shaped as a small bag with a tube, which opens into the hair follicle. These glands excrete the skin oils, which soften and moisten the skin and protect hair flexibility, reduce water evaporation from the skin surface and keep the outer layer of the skin from moisture loss and cracking. Sebaceous glands are located all over the body except hand palms and foot soles. In particular, lots of them are located on the face, and hairy skin of the head, where they are larger in size than elsewhere. During one week period sebaceous glands discharge from 100 to 300 grams of skin fat. This gland secretion consists of fatty acids, fat, salt, albuminoide, phosphoric acid substances; the secretion is formed of these ingredients through their process of decomposition.

Hairy skin of the head is different from other parts of the body skin as it has significantly thinner epidermis, more sweat and sebaceous glands; it is prone to increased sweating and greasing, as well as flaking. You can hear quite often that the skin "is breathing." What does this mean? This means there is a constant gas exchange between the human body through the skin pores and environment. The skin absorbs 1/180 of a total oxygen acquired through the lungs, and discharges 1/70 - 1/80 of a total exhaled carbon dioxide.

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1 - hair.
2 - epidermis.
3 - sebaceous glands.
4 - vein.
5 - artery.

Hair

Hair - it is same accessory to the skin as nails, oil or sweat glands. All together they constitute a complex set, complementing each other; they give our body a strong, lasting and permanently renewable protection from external environmental factors. Our hair is a very valuable material, in order to keep them in best condition we need to deal with them as we would with wool or silk. Hair helps not only to highlight our appearance, but also hide its defects, in addition they keep our head from overheating and cold. Hair in women emphasize their femininity and in men their manhood, the lack of scalp hair or or their increased amount on the face and body concerns women as much, as any hair loss in men.

Nails
 
Like hair, nails are a type of modified skin — and they’re not just for beauty. Nails protect the sensitive tips of our fingers and toes. Human nails are not necessary for living, but they do provide support for the tips of the fingers and toes, protect them from injury, and aid in picking up small objects. Without them, we’d have a hard time scratching an itch or untying a knot. Nails can be an indicator of a person’s general health, and illness often affects their growth. Nail main components are keratin, water, iron and calcium lipids. Nails grow uniformly at approximately 3 mm per month speed, but this may vary depending on age and nutritional characteristics. Some inappropriate dietary and external factors, like contamination or ultraviolet radiation, may have a negative impact on the nail growth and hardening.

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