How the Skin Works
The skin is the largest vital organ of the human body. It covers you up, keeps
you warm and keeps you cool. It also decides
what can be absorbed and what should be rejected.
Skin that is clogged and unhealthy is not just a beauty problem. It can become a
hindrance to your sense of vitality and
wellness. Proper care of your skin is important not only to your personal sense
of beauty but also to proper elimination,
more graceful aging and overall health.
The skin has five main functions:
1. It acts as a mechanical barrier to infections. It ultimately prevents
microorganisms and other substances from entering
the body. Langerhans cells (a type of macrophage) are found within the dermis, they engulf
invaders foreign to the body and debris.
Keratin layers in the epidermis together with sebum produced by sebaceous glands
act as a waterproof barrier. Melanocytes protect the body from ultraviolet light.
Finger and toe nails protect the extremities of fingers and toes from damage.
Fingertips are important for dexterity and the
sense of touch; they have ridged areas to assist in picking things up. Hair follicles offer some extra protection to certain parts of the body such as
eyes and head.
2. It regulates body temperature. Considerable heat is lost through the skin.
Even under extreme conditions of high
temperature and exercise, our skin tends to make body temperature normal. The
production (evaporation) of sweat in the skin
cools us down when exposed to too much heat.
The core body temperature needs to be kept constant for normal physiological
activity to take place (370c). It needs to
maintain a core temperature for homeostasis.
3. Skin excretes waste product and excess salt from the body. Sweat includes
waste products in solution. Water is lost
continuously through the skin as sweating. More pronounced water loss
through sweating occurs as part of
temperature regulation.
4. Skin provides the sense of touch or sensation we need to know more about our
outside environment through recognizing
heat, cold, pain and other sensations. Nerve endings of the skin provide the
body with a great deal of information about the
outside environment.
5. Skin synthesizes the use of Vitamin D in the presence of sunlight and ultra
violet radiation needed for the absorption of
calcium and phosphate.
So be good to your skin and read some
Skin Product Reviews to help you choose the one that's right for you!
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