Chapter 2: Our Body’s Chemistry: Hair, Skin, and Nails (Satisfies Chemical Makeup Requirement)
Learning objectives Given the course materials, the learner will be able to: List several of the major functions of the Integumentary System. Recognize the six elements that account for over 99% of the human body. Define pH and discuss levels of acidity and alkalinity. Cosmetology is the professional practice of beautifying the skin, hair, and nails: all components of the body’s largest organ system, the Integumentary System . The cosmetology industry survives on human services focusing on the Integumentary System, and therefore in order to provide quality cosmetic services, it is essential that licensed cosmetologists have a working understanding of the functions, chemical makeup, and proper treatment of the organs within the Integumentary System: skin, hair, and nails.
Explain why high pH products may have a drying effect on hair, skin and nails. Recall tips for keeping clients and staff safe from chemical exposure in the salon setting. Relate knowledge of chemical makeup and pH to product selection.
INTRODUCTION
The Integumentary System serves to protect the human body from outside elements. It functions to keep our internal organs free from damage, but also serves many other purposes such as waterproofing and insulating the deeper tissues, regulating temperature, and removing wastes. It serves in the detection of pressure, pain, and sensation and provides for vitamin D synthesis.
The chart below shows some of the major functions of the Integumentary System : Waste removal (excretion) through sweat. Interfaces with the environment as the first line of defense from external factors.
Protects against pathogens and excessive water loss and controls evaporation. Thermoregulation and temperature detection.
Langerhans cells in the skin are part of the adaptive immune system.
Sensory functions from nerve endings indicate touch, pressure, vibration, and tissue injury, etc. Absorbs oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide - the cells comprising the outermost .25-.20 mm of skin are almost exclusively supplied by external oxygen!
Acts as a water-resistant barrier to hold essential nutrients in the body.
Guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments, and internal organs.
Stores lipids and water.
Insulates and cushions.
Produces Vitamin D Folates.
condition. Mastering an understanding of the chemical makeup of the skin, hair, and nails is an important part of being able to provide these services. This course will provide you with the need-to-know information regarding chemical makeup relevant to the salon industry.
For all of the above reasons and more, the Integumentary System is essential to the effective functioning of the entire human body. As a licensed cosmetologist, your job entails not only beautifying the skin, hair, and nails, but also recommending appropriate home-care products to promote and prolong health and keep hair, skin, and nails maintained in the best possible It is impossible to determine the exact chemical composition of the human body, as each cell is a mixture of thousands of different chemicals. However, scientific speculation proposes that the average chemical makeup of the adult human body would be similar to the following formula: H 375,000,000 O 132,000,000 C 85,700,000 N 6,430,000 Ca 1,500,000 P 1,020,000 S 206,000 Na 183,000 K 177,000 Cl 127,000 Mg 40,000 Si 38,600 Fe 2,680 Zn 2,110 Cu 76I14 Mn 13 F 13 Cr 7 Se 4 Mo 3 Co 1 While this is not an exact representation for any one individual, it gives an idea of the many different chemical components coexisting and interacting within the human body. Six elements, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus account for over 99% of the human body. The most abundant chemical in every human body is water (H20), which composes between 65-90% of every living cell, closely followed by carbon (C). Because differentiated cells don’t vary hugely by chemical composition, the formula provided above should be reasonably accurate for human skin, hair, and nails with the exception of calcium and phosphorus, which would be significantly lower due to their concentration in bone.
CHEMICAL MAKEUP
To truly understand the chemical makeup of the skin, hair, and nails, it helps to understand the composition of each organ. Organs are made of tissues, which are groups of similar cells that work together to perform a certain function. Each of these cells is composed of organelles, or very tiny structures that perform certain tasks within the cells. Organelles are then made up of various materials including proteins. These proteins are made up of various amino acids. The chemical formula of an amino acid is easily definable, experimentally quantifiable, and tells with exactitude what the amino acid is and what it does. It is only at this miniscule level that we are able to cleanly identify the various different chemical components working within the human body. This shows the extreme complexity of the chemical makeup of the human body and highlights the uncertainty that remains when trying to determine the chemical formula for particular components (such as skin, hair, and nails) within the body. What we do know with certainty is that hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus normally makeup more than 99% of the mass of living cells. Therefore, an understanding of how different chemical compounds interact with each of these elements can provide insight into how chemical compounds will
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Book Code: NTFL1024
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