Name: Date:

Lab Partner: Period:

Anatomy & Physiology

Skin Lab

Directions: Follow the lab procedures. Each person will turn in a paper. Answers to questions should be individually completed. Please write in blue or black ink only. Do not use white out or erase.

Objectives:

  • Students will understand the sense of touch and the role your skin plays
  • Students will understand the layers of the skin
  • Students will understand the sebum layer & its function

Procedure: Part A: Sensations

  1. Class will work in groups of 4.
  2. Each group will receive several bags with an object in each.
  3. Each person in the group will feel the object in the bag and record that sensation on his/her own chart. NO PEEKING!
  4. Once the sensation is recorded, pass the bag to the next person in your group until all of the bags have been used.
  5. Make some general individual conclusions in the space provided (analysis #1).
  6. Compare your sensation results with each other and finish the chart.
  7. Compare your bag identities with each other and then look in the bags to see if who is correct.
  8. Answer the questions on your own.

Sensation cues: is it hot/cold? Is it smooth/rough? Is it small/large? Is it one piece or many? How do your fingers feel after you have touched it?

Sensation record:

StudentsBag #1 Bag #2Bag #3 Bag #4

Student 1
Student 2
Student 3
Student 4

Analysis Part A:

1. Conclude what you think each bag contained.

2. Which objects gave you the most trouble?

3. What characteristics made this object more difficult to identify?

4. Who in your group seemed to have the best sense of touch?

Procedure: Part B: The Sebum Layer

  1. Students will work in groups of 2.
  2. 1 student will act as the tester and the other will act as the test subject.
  3. Wet a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and wipe the palm of the test subject’s hand. Record what happens.
  4. Place a few drops of dishwashing liquid on the test subject’s palm (the same hand that was used for #3). Record what happens.
  5. Place a few drops of dishwashing liquid on the test subject’s palm of the opposite hand (the one not rubbed with alcohol). Record your results.
  6. You may repeat steps 2 through 5 on the other student (reverse roles).
  7. Answer the following questions individually.

Analysis:

1. What happened when alcohol was rubbed on the hand?

2. Why do you think this happened?

3. What happened when dishwashing liquid was placed on the hand that the alcohol was placed?

4. Why do you think this happened?

5. Compare your results from #3 with when you placed dishwashing liquid on the hand that did not get wiped with rubbing alcohol. Why do you think this happened?

General Analysis: Answer these questions on a separate piece of paper. You may use your textbook or notes to answer these questions.

1. What have you learned from this lab?

2. What would happen if you stayed in a hot tub too long (to your skin)?

3. What would happen if you stayed in the sun too long and got sunburned? Why does this happen?

4. What are the roles of your skin?