Anatomy of the Skin

The skin works extremely hard every minute of every day to maintain homeostasis (equilibrium) in the body. Not only does the skin protect the body from the outside world to keep out germs, dirt, heat, cold, water, sunlight, insects and gases, it acts as a major waste disposal system to rid the body of toxins.

The skin is, therefore, an extremely important component of the body's immune system - a first line of defense.

Skin tissue is flexible and elastic, and covers an average surface area of around 14 square feet, making it the largest organ of the body.

Although it may look like a simple thin layer of tissue, the skin is actually comprised of many layers of complex tissue enclosed within three main structures, the epidermis and dermis (the two upper layers) and subcutaneous tissue (the underlying layer).

Next Article: The Epidermis ->