All That Your Skin Does For You: Functions of the Skin

I recently finished reading Kate Somerville’s book Complexion Perfection!  (click here to see my review), and some of the points in the book really stayed with me.  For instance in a section of the book entitled “Getting to Know Your Skin” (page 4) Somerville writes:

Human skin is truly amazing.  Despite my years in the business, I’m wowed by this majestic organ every day: what it does, how it heals, and just how beautiful it can be.  If you think you’re good at multitasking, trust me, you don’t hold a candle to your skin. …  Culturally, skin identifies our ethnic heritage, links us to our family, and is a blank canvas we sometimes color to express our individuality.  Like it or not, our skin is a large part of what makes a first impression, and it’s also what sets us apart as humans.  Unlike our pooches, parakeets, or pet lizards, we’re among the rare members of the animal kingdom whose skin is not protected by fur, feathers, or scales.  …  At birth, our physical shell seems too delicate to do everything we ask for it, but it’s more than up to the job.

 

Functions of the Skin

  

Somerville’s statements got me thinking about everything our skin does for us on a daily basis.  I think we take our skin for granted and only “tune in” to it when there is a problem.  So I thought it would be a good idea to highlight all the functions of our skin.

Our skin is our body’s largest organ and plays a central role in protecting and caring for our bodies. 

Our skin:

• Protects us from outside elements, microorganisms, infections, and injury
• Slows down water evaporation from the body and helps keep our bodies hydrated by producing protective oil
• Melanin in the skin protects us from the sun
• Can heal itself
• Helps regulate our body temperature by warming and cooling the body
• Detoxifys the body by excreting excess salt and unwanted chemicals
• Houses our body’s sense of touch so that we can feel and respond to pain, cold, heat, and pressure.

 

So with everything our skin does for us shouldn’t we return the favor with a little TLC?  Take one day or even just one hour to make protecting and caring for your skin a priority.

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