Life Span Changes
Life Span Changes
Learning Objective: Analyze the life span changes that occur in the integumentary system.
Across the life span, many changes occur that affect the integumentary system. The following sections discuss those changes.
Changes in Children
Learning Objective: Describe the changes in the integumentary system in children.
While a baby is in utero, a protective coating forms on the baby’s skin. This is called vernix and is a white, creamy biofilm that protects the baby’s skin from the amniotic fluid in the last trimester of the pregnancy. Lanugo, a special type of body hair, serves as an anchor to hold the vernix to the skin.
The skin of a newborn is thinner than the skin of an adult, and the skin of a preterm infant is even less than that of a full-term newborn. This can lead to increased fluid and heat loss and can result in electrolyte imbalance, reduced thermoregulation, and increased infection risk.
Children routinely appear at physician offices with skin disorders. Some of the most common are impetigo, acne, seborrheic dermatitis, cellulitis, and pediculosis. Although none of these are serious disorders, impetigo and pediculosis are highly contagious. Also seen are the different degrees of burns, usually accidental but potentially life threatening.
Changes in Older Adults
Learning Objective: Describe the changes in the integumentary system in older adults.
Older patients have a completely different set of diagnoses. The disorders categorized as those related to cornification, especially corns and calluses, are seen routinely in medical offices. These masses or thickenings of the skin are formed as a defensive response to constant friction, usually within shoes. Pressure sores (also called bedsores or decubitus ulcers) are seen most often in bedridden patients whose skin may already be atrophied and thin. Eczema, cellulitis, and fungal infections are also common complaints. The last category of skin disorders often seen in older adults are skin cancers. Although younger patients with skin cancers are often seen, older patients have had a longer time to be exposed to the sun and develop malignancies.