About Skin Protection
We know that skin is the largest organ of the human body and that one of its primary objectives is protection. But if it is thought that skin serves only as wrapping paper and that the complicated systems of human life occur only beneath it, lacking only the tape to keep it in place, the other critical functions skin performs are being ignored. There are three layers comprising skin and each has its own functions. The loss of any one of them would be instantly noticed. All of this is contained in less than 2 metres square and 3 kilos of a thin 1 to 5 millimetre flexible miracle.
The external layer is the epidermis. It consists of five sub-layers. These layers are perforated in the millions all over the entire area of the skin by sweat pores, nerve endings and hair. Sweat pores are critical in body temperature management in reaction to environmental conditions. Nerve endings sense the critical environmental conditions of temperature, texture and humidity.
The middle layer of skin is the dermis. It is a factory in continuous operation in the creation of new epidermis, which is replenished and replaced thousands of times over the course of a lifetime. It is a mass of capillary arteries and veins, providing blood flow throughout for nutrient-giving elements and cooperative temperature control along with the sweat glands and pores. It is the location of the sweat glands, nerve fibres, hair follicles and pacinian corpuscles, specialized nerve endings that sense touch and pressure.
Beneath is the hypodermis, a layer consisting mostly of fat cells, arteries, veins and lymph vessels. Here is the origin of the skin’s smooth and supple appearance.
As a complete system, the skin performs multiple functions in addition to protection. It is the sensory input from environment to the nervous system. It manages body temperature by ability to vary capillary blood flow and secretion of moisture to the surface for evaporative cooling. It is a storage tank of water and lipids. It is both porous and water resistant, maintaining a delicate balance of these opposing functions to absorb gasses (oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen) essential for synthesis in the outer half of the skin, and to prevent water from the exterior to flood nutrients out of the body.
The skin requires careful maintenance throughout life to allow it to perform these vital functions to protect and serve the body.
If you have questions about skincare contact your local doctor, who will arrange for you to see a dermatologist.