The Dermatological System

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, although the skin as an organ can experience a very wide range of disorders, it is not generally known that stress also affects the skin's ability to remain healthy. The author describes anatomy of the skin as a human organ. The paper relates that some of the ways in which stress affects the skin includes the redirection of blood by adrenaline, which causes the skin to become pale and lackluster, the prevention of blood flow, which cuts down on oxygen and vital skin nutrients and an increase in cortisone secretion, which suppresses the body's natural immunity. The paper relates that, although many dermatologists are still debating whether stress actually causes skin disorders, they do agree that stress definitely triggers or aggravates skin conditions like acne, hives, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and herpes simplex.

From the Paper:

'Somatic factors include the use of certain legal and illegal drugs, obesity, malnutrition, metabolic disturbances, circulatory disturbances, immunologic deficits or abrupt changes in the turgor (i.e., the resiliency) of the skin. Some of the defining characteristics of impaired skin integrity include "a disruption of the surface of the skin," such as with cuts and scrapes, "the destruction of cell layers and the invasion of structures of the body through the skin, such as with stabbing and cutting."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Glanze, Walter D. (2002). Mosby's Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Dictionary.St. Louis, MO: C.V. Mosby Company.Lyon, Alice. (2007).
• "Your Skin and Stress." Internet. Retrieved from http:// www.acnease.com/HArticle7.asp.
• Nargundkar, Vasu. (2002). "Stress Can Be Hazardous to Your Skin." Pioneer Thinking. Internet. Retrieved from http://www.pioneerthinking.com/stress-skin.html.

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