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Skin Anatomy
The skin is the body’s largest and heaviest organ and makes up around 12% of an adult’s body weight.
It has several important functions including:
- Sensation: it’s the main sensory organ for temperature control, pressure, touch, and pain.
- Heat regulation:it helps to regulate the body’s temperature by sweating to cool it down when it overheats and shivering when it’s cold.
- Absorption: creams, essential oils and even much-needed water are absorbed through the skin.
- Protection:as overexposure to UV light can harm the skin, it protects itself by producing a pigment, called melanin, which we see when we tan. Bacteria and germs are also prevented from entering the skin by a protective barrier called the acid mantle. This barrier helps to protect against moisture loss. Skin also cushions the internal organs.
- Excretion:waste products and toxins are eliminated from the body through sweat glands.
- Secretion: sebum and sweat are secreted onto the skin’s surface. The sebum keeps the skin lubricated and soft, and the sweat combines with the sebum to form the acid mantle.
- Vitamin D production: absorption of UV rays from the sun helps with the formation of Vitamin D, which the body needs for strong bones and good eyesight.
