Kinesiology 2222A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Vitiligo, Macrophage, Melanin

• School: Western University
• Department: Kinesiology
• Course: Kinesiology 2222A/B
• Professor: Jamie Melling

Document Summary

Skin is an organ and it is important. Skin is made up of dead (non-living) tissue. Skin tells us a lot about an individual in terms of their age (wrinkles) The skin has many appendages of it example: hair. This first and most important component is the epidermis. Epidermis: primarily epithelial tissue, the term epi= above, keratinized squamous epithelium. The common cell is called a keratinocytes. They contain melanin a pigment that gives it its colour, this colour can vary depending on the type of melanin. Also contains melanocytes, less common, which have a distinctive colour. Melanocytes are the site of melanin synthesis. Melanin affords uv protection acts as an umbrella over the nuclei (it is situated above the nuclei) Also contains sensory cells called merkel cells (these are the least common) and are used for tactile sensory. The langerhans cells are macrophages that inject foreign substances and clean up damaged cells immune cell.