Cervical Fascias: Superficial And Deep Fascial Layers

Cervical Fascias: Superficial And Deep Fascial Layers

Superficial fascia

Question 1. What is superficial fascia?
Answer.

• superficial fascia is a layer of loose connective tissue located deep to skin. It connects the skin to the underlying deep fascia. The superficial fascia contains subcutaneous fat, nerves and vessels. It is mostly heavily infiltrated with fat in females and children, which is the main factor responsible for smooth external contours of the body in females and children. AN4.3
• superficial fascia allows mobility of the skin on the underlying structures.
• superficial fascia acts as a distributary layer in which blood vessels, lymphatics and nerves can travel before entering the dermis.

Read And Learn More: Selective Anatomy Notes And Question And Answers

• superficial fascia forms a kind of insulating layer over the body surface and accounts for the increased resistance of the females to cold in comparison with the males.
• superficial fascia is extremely thin and devoid of fat in the eyelids, the external ear, penis and scrotum.
• In palms, soles, back of neck and scalp, it is made up of dense connective tissue, which firmly bind it to the underlying structures.

Skin

Question 1. What is skin? List its functions.
Answer.

The skin (integument) is the outer covering of the body with a total area of about 20 square feet. It is the largest organ (area wise) of the body constituting about 16% of the body weight.

Functions

• Protection of the body from heat, cold, ultraviolet rays, etc.
• Prevention of loss of the body fluids and absorption of water within the body.
• Regulation of the body temperature.
• Acts as a sensory organ.
• Synthesis of vitamin D with the help of ultraviolet rays.
• Absorption of lipid-soluble materials, e.g. vitamins like A, D, E and K; solvents like acetone; and heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury.

Question 2. What are the layers of the skin?
Answer.

The skin consists of two layers:

• Epidermis: It is the superficial layer. It consists of stratified squamous epithelium and is derived from ectoderm. It is avascular.
• Dermis: It is the deep layer. It is made up of connective tissue and is derived from mesoderm. It is highly vascular and contains glands, nerve endings and hair follicles.