What is Skin?

What is Skin... Your skin is the largest organ in your body.

When people think of organs, most often they think of the heart, lungs and brain, but almost never think of their skin as an organ. Like your internal organs, skin is made up of different types of tissues and these tissues are made up of cells.

Just like the roof on your house, your skin plays an important role in protecting your body.

It keeps bodily fluids inside while at the same time carefully controlling the release of waste products. It also helps keep your internal body parts safe from the potentially harmful effects of our environment, including the sun, light and bacteria and also from physical injury.

What is Skin Constructed Of?

Several different layers make up your skin, but perhaps because the underlying layers are not visible, they're not thought of very often.

We spend much of our lives worrying about acne and wrinkles but don't realize that these types of skin issues have a lot to do with the inner workings of the layers below.

If you were to look at a cross-section of your skin, you'd see that it consists of three different layers:

• the epidermis,
• the dermis
• the hypodermis or subcutis layer.

Taking a closer look at each layer of skin, we find...

1. The Epidermis ... What is skins epidermis layer?

This is the outermost layer of skin, the one that is visible. It covers your entire body, from your head down to your feet. The epidermis itself consists of 3 layers and is made up of tightly-woven connective tissues of varying thickness. For example, the skin covering your feet is much thicker than the skin beneath your eye. The epidermis acts like a barrier, keeping the good in and the bad out.

The top layer of the epidermis is constantly being shed. It's the layer that acts as the gatekeeper keeping fluids in and dangers out. Although not easily visible, most of this layer is covered with thousands of tiny pores and hair shafts. New skin is continually being generated by the bottom layer to replace the skin that has been shed. The epidermis also contains melanin, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation (coloring) and protection against the damaging rays of the sun.

2. The Dermis ... What is skins dermis layer?

The dermis layer of connective tissue is tucked in between the innermost and outermost layers and is the site of much activity. The dermis is home to blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerve tissue, hair follicles, bundles of collagen and sweat glands.

Great activity takes place in this middle layer. Blood vessels supply nutrients. Nerve tissues give skin the ability to feel and the muscle tissues in the dermis layer when they are activated are what cause goose bumps in response to cold or fear.

The dermis layer also has the ability to trap bacteria that manage to penetrate the epidermis.

3. The Hypodermis or Subcutis Layer.

This innermost layer of skin helps to regulate your body temperature. It is here that insulating fat and collagen can be found, which is why this layer helps keep us warm. The hypodermis also acts as a cushion or shock absorber, protecting your body from injury. The connective tissue that makes up this important layer is also known as adipose tissue.