Importance of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ in our body. It is made up of 3 layers. The epidermis, dermis and the subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis layer is the skin’s outermost layer. It consists of 5 layers: : stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum licidum and stratum corneum. The dermis layer consists of the papillary layer and reticular layer that contain collagen fibers. The subcutaneous tissue is a layer of fat and connective tissues where blood vessels and nerves can be found. It also helps to regulate the temperature of the body and skin, which means it helps in homeostasis.

There are many different functions of the skin. Firstly, it acts as chemical and physical barrier for the body, protecting us against from harmful pathogens from the external environment. It also gives us sensation, due to the nerves in the skin. If the skin is harmed from heat, the nerves attached to the skin will send neurotransmitters to the central nervous system which will cause a response by moving the skin away from danger.

In thermoregulation , the skin contains sweat glands that help to produced sweat. The sweat helps the body to cool down by evaporating as gas, thereby decrease the temperature of the body. There are also lysozymes in the sweat that is involved in phagocytosis that helps to eliminate bacteria.

The skin also helps to store blood, therefore if other parts of the body is requires blood, it can communicate via the nervous pathways.

Protecting the skin is important. If the skin is unable to function well, it will affect the other parts of the body. Pathogens will enter the body cause harm to the internal environment. It can also cause pain, thereby affecting our body movements. The different systems in our body may not be able to function properly.

Protection.
• Sensation.
• Thermoregulation.
• Synthesizes vitamin D.
• Storage of blood that can be shunted to other parts of the body when needed.
• Excretion of salts and small