You might not think of your skin as an organ, but it is. In fact, it is the largest organ of all. You might be surprised to know how much the skin really does for us. The skin serves many purposes. It helps to keep your body from losing too much water. It serves as a barrier to help protect you from infections and bacteria that try to enter the body. Blood vessels, hair follicles and nerves are all embedded with your skin. You skin even works for your other organs as a layer of protection.
Your skin is very sensitive to stimuli since it is filled with nerve endings. Cells from the lower layers of the skin make their way to the epidermis which is the site ot dead cell expulsion. Your skin renews each self about every thirty days.
There are three layers to your skin including the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous layer. The outer layer of your skin, the epidermis, has three of its own small layers. The epidermis contains Keratin, Langerhans and Melanocytes. The color and shade of your skin is determined by the amount melanin in your skin. Lagnerhands are actually a component of the immune system helping to shield the body from entry of infection.
As your grower older in years, you will see changes in the epidermis and other layers of skin. It becomes more difficult for the cells in your skin to divide and renew themselves each month. The dead cells are not released from the epidermis with as much speed as when you were younger. Your body will start to produce melanin with age. This is why there are aging spots (most often brown). Your skin will look older and more rugged as the function of the epidermis decreases.
The next layer of your skin is know as the dermis. This is the main core of your skin. The dermis is responsible for the elasticity of your skin. There is collagen, proteins, blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles and nerves within the dermal layer. With age, your skin will lose some of its elasticity. It becomes more difficult for your body to retain moisture for the skin, which is why you will notice dryer skin with age.
Related posts: