NURS 3234 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Ace Inhibitor, Hyperaemia, Petroleum Jelly
Document Summary
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is about 3,000 square inches or about 20 square feet and receives one-third of our blood supply. The skin is the body"s barrier to the outside world. It protects us from temperature extremes; from inclement weather conditions such as rain, sleet, snow, wind, and ice; protects against exposure to radiation, and from infection. The skin also produces sebum to keep skin supple; produces sweat to promote thermoregulation; has melanin to protect us from the sun; enables us to sense the environment through pain, touch, temperature, and pressure; and is involved in metabolism. Skin allows us to express our emotions, identify people, and have a body image. It assists in holding our bodies together, yet, we tend to take our skin for granted. Simple cuts, abrasions, and lacerations heal quickly, and most often, without our attention. There are two general types of wounds: acute wounds and chronic wounds.
