The integumentary system consists of the skin, hair, nails, glands, and nerves. Its main function is to act as a barrier to protect the body from the outside world. It also functions to retain body fluids, protect against disease, eliminate waste products, and regulate body temperature. In order to do these things, the integumentary system works with all the other systems of your body, each of which has a role to play in maintaining the internal conditions that a human body needs to function properly.
The integumentary system has many functions, most of which are involved in protecting you and regulating your body’s internal functions in a variety of ways:
Protects the body's internal living tissues and organs
Protects against invasion by infectious organisms
Protects the body from dehydration
Protects the body against abrupt changes in temperature
Helps dispose of waste materials
Acts as a receptor for touch, pressure, pain, heat, and cold
Stores water and fat
![](https://s2.save4k.ru/pic/TIUm0jsIG0E/mqdefault.jpg)