Interesting Facts about Skin
So how does your knowledge stand when it comes to facts about skin? Skin is defined as the soft outer covering of an animal, and in mammals it is considered the largest organ in the body! The skin serves many useful and impressive functions which are largely underestimated. We are going to get to know more about the skin and the important role it plays in everyday human life.
Since childhood, many of us have imagined the skin as that stuff that keeps our insides from falling out, but the following facts about skin tell us that it really is much more complex than that. What we know as the skin is actually made up of three layers. These layers are called the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis. One of the skin’s most obvious jobs is to make sure that nothing from the external environment gets inside the body. Our skin also houses the nerves that provide us with the necessity of sensation—that is, touch.
The skin also contains a great deal of blood that allows it to regulate the body’s temperature. The blood vessels constrict in an attempt to conserve body heat while dilation of the blood vessels helps the body to release excess heat. The skin also helps the body to absorb nitrogen and carbon dioxide and blocks out things like water. Imagine if our skin simply let in water every time we took a bath or went swimming. Skin really is an amazing part of the human body!
The epidermis, or the topmost layer of skin, is made up of its own system of layers. These five layers are called the stratum corneum, stratum lucidum, stratum, granulosum, stratum spinosum, and stratum germinativum. The epidermis does not contain any blood vessels, however it is still important in helping the body to regulate its temperature. The epidermis also contains important cells that alert the rest of the body of a potential invasion, such as a viral or bacterial infection. Skin is constantly building new cells which push the older skin cells up towards the outermost layer. It usually takes about a month for the new skin cells to rise to the top of the epidermis and flake away.
The dermis is the next layer of skin to follow after the epidermis. The dermis does contain blood vessels that it can constrict and dilate as necessary to cool the body off or to keep it warm. This particular layer of skin contains collagen which gives skin its elasticity. Nerve endings are also located in this layer which relays pain and general “touch” sensations to the brain. The dermis is the home to hair follicles as well as glands such as oil and sweat glands.
The hypodermis, or the subcutis, is somewhat of a cushion for minor impacts. It is technically a thin layer of fat that offers a bit of protection from bumps and falls. This layer of fat can also serve as an emergency source of energy should the body go into starvation mode.
An interesting fact about skin color is that it is determined by the amount of melanin found in the epidermis. The darker the melanin particles, the darker the color of skin is. This pigment is specifically designed to protect the body from the sun’s damaging UV rays. In people from more tropical climates where the sun is much more intense, there tends to be more of the darker melanin to counter the sun’s rays. People with lighter skin usually hail from areas that don’t see as much sunlight and therefore don’t need as much melanin in their skin.
As you can see from these facts about skin, it has some pretty impressive qualities! In order to make sure that our skin is working at optimum level, we should take extra measures to care for our skin by taking A, C, E, and K vitamin supplements as well as regular cleansing and lotion applications.