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Medicanet 
body parts
Skin |
Skin - The Largest and Most Important Organ of your BodyWe might think that we only have organs inside our body.
This was always mistaken. However, the skin is an organ, and it is known to be the largest organ of the body. There are so many different and important functions of skin. One of the most important functions is that the skin provides covering and also protection for everything inside the human body.
Try to imagine the body without any skin. It will be very unpleasant to see all the organs, veins, bones and muscles.
Three layers make up the skin. The epidermis is called the outer layer. Another way of understanding this is: the epidermis is the part of the skin that can be seen.
Apart from supplying protection, epidermis has other work to do. Beneath the epidermis is where new cells happen. It takes around two weeks for new skin cells to move to the surface. The skin cells we see when looking at a body are older cells, yet they are strong enough to supply protection.
Between 30,000 and 40,000 dead cells are lost per minute.
You should not panic knowing how much skin cells you lose a day. Know that new cells are produced by 95% of the epidermis cells. The other 5% is working on producing the substances that is responsible for determining the skin tone variation, also the melanin. Melanin is in charge for supplying the color to the skin.
Darker people possess more melanin, and the reason for this is that the more the person is exposed to the sun, the more melanin is produced by the epidermis. This prevents the skin from burning. Unprotected exposure can lead to skin cancer.
The second layer of the skin is called the dermis. This is a layer that is not visible to the naked eye.
The dermis is a layer that is underneath epidermis and houses the sweat glands, nerve endings, blood vessels and oil glands. This layer is tough and also stretchy, and the reason is because of the collagen and the elastin.
The nerve endings on the dermis is quite sensitive and reacts to anything it actually feels. The reason for this is because the brain and the nervous system work together with the nerve endings. Blood vessels are known to keep the skin healthy, and blood transports oxygen and nutrients in the human body.
Skin drying and wrinkling is the sign of ageing. Apart from age, sunlight also causes ageing. Skin disorders are imminent when bacteria and viruses attack the body’s skin.
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