 What is it? ◦ The skin and membranes that cover body surfaces and line the surfaces of organs

 Epithelial and connective tissue that protects the inside of you from the environment ◦ Two types of tissue and specialized function  So skin is an organ

 Serous membrane ◦ Lines body cavities with no opening to the outside  Thoracic Cavity  Abdominal cavity

 Mucous membranes ◦ Lines cavities that open to the outside  Urinary tract  Nasal cavity  Digestive tract

 Cutaneous membrane ◦ Skin

What happens when things go wrong

 Acne develops when sebum — an oily substance that lubricates your hair and skin — and dead skin cells plug the hair follicles. Bacteria can trigger inflammation and infection resulting in complications of acne.

 BENIGN NEOPLASMS (Tumors)  often called "moles" or "warts" by patients – but aren’t  average size is 1cm; can be up to 3cm  flesh-colored, tan, brown, or black  oval-shaped, elevated, "greasy" feel  appear "stuck-on" the skin

 These sores can be brutally painful. They are caused by the Herpes Simplex virus, and when they occur, they are often accompanied by the symptoms one associates with the flu; nausea, fever, chills, muscle aches and malaise. Once a person is infected with the virus, generally early in life, he or she will suffer reoccurrences on a fairly regular basis, depending on the state of their mental or physical health.

 In most cases, hives and angioedema are harmless and don't leave any lasting marks, even without treatment. The most common treatment for hives and angioedema is antihistamine medications. Serious angioedema can be life-threatening if swelling causes your throat or tongue to block your airway and leads to loss of consciousness.

 thick, red skin with flaky, silver-white patches called scales.  Cortisone (anti-itch) cream  Creams or ointments that contain coal tar or anthralin  Creams to remove the scaling (usually salicylic acid or lactic acid)  Dandruff shampoos (over- the-counter or prescription)  Moisturizers  Prescription medicines containing vitamin D or vitamin A (retinoids)

 It's an infectious process, spread from person to person. However, you have to be susceptible to that virus (have no immunity to it), you have to be exposed to the virus, and you have to have some type of break in the skin. It doesn't need to be much; sometimes just a simple scratch is enough.

 Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, accounting for more than 75% of all skin malignancies and occurs with increasing age and with sex incidence being almost twice as common in males.

 Pick a skin problem or disease (Name)  How do you get it?  What are the signs/symptoms?  How do you treat it?  What would you recommend someone do to prevent this skin problem/disease?  Why did you decide to research this problem/disease?

 Melanin- dark pigment; gives skin its color  Melanocytes- cells that produce melanin  Located in the epidermis  All humans have about the same # of melanocytes in their skin  Dark skin= more melanin and larger pigment granules  Light skin= less melanin & smaller granules  The more melanin a person has, the less likely they are to develop skin cancer.

 Has anyone ever treated you differently because of the amount of melanin you have?  Write down your experience in your notebook?