Greetings everyone! For our second week discussion I have chosen to talk about the dermis, its functions, its layers, the papilla, and the hypodermis. Before I begin, I feel it is important to mention some interesting facts about our skin. At the beginning of chapter 6 our textbook mentions that our skin it is the largest organ of our bodies and its responsible for sensation, vitamin D synthesis, functions as a barrier against many potentially harmful substances, and it is also responsible for thermoregulation (Saladin, 2018). Therefore, in my opinion we should take good care of our skin since it is the largest barrier we have against infection. While I was researching for my post, I came across a very interesting journal that in my opinion was easy to read and understand. The dermis is a thick layer of connective tissue located just below the epidermis and above the subcutaneous layer (Smith, Y., 2019). The dermis is the thickest layer of the skin and it is responsible for thermoregulation, sensation, and protection. It is also made of fibrous and elastic tissue which provide strength and flexibility to the skin (Smith, Y., 2019). The dermis contains collagen, elastin fibers, nerves, glands, and hair follicles. According to our
text the dermis is divided into two other layers call the papillary layer and the reticular layer (Saladin, 2018). Smith, Y. mentions that the papillary layer is the more superficial of the two layers and that it is made of loose connective tissue such as capillaries, elastic fibers, reticular fibers, and collagen (2019). She also states that the reticular layer is deeper, thicker, and contains dense connective tissue such as blood vessels, elastic fibers (interlaced), collagen fibers (in parallel), fibroblast, mast cells, nerve endings, and lymphatics (2019). Our text defines dermal papillae as the boundary between the epidermis and the dermis. It describes the dermal papillae as usually wavy upward waves finger like extensions of the dermis (Saladin, 2018). Our text also talks about the Hypodermis and it describe it as a layer beneath the skin or subcutaneous tissue (Saladin, 2018). The Hypodermis contains mostly adipose tissue and sweat glands. The adipose tissue it is responsible for production of vitamin D, and triglycerides. The subcutaneous fat also serves as an energy reservoir and thermal isolation. Children and old people have less subcutaneous fat, so they tend to be more sensitive to cold weather (Saladin, 2018).