Learn Skin: A brief overview
Aside from that which has large teeth and manmade doomsday devices, the largest [natural] threat to mankind, is the microbiological world. Germs, diseases, viruses, and other infectious pathogens that have detrimental physiological effects, that live amongst humans. Thankfully, our bodies have a phenomenally successful way of guarding and protecting us against such threats. The first line in that defense is our skin.
As many of you may know, our skin is the largest organ that we have. For newcomers - an organ belongs to a living organism. It is a collective group of tissues that develop to perform a specific function. Since our bodies perform many specialized functions, there are many types of organs. The esophagus, stomach, and liver, for example, are part of the digestive system. Another example of an organ would be our lungs, which are part of the respiratory system. Another is the heart, which belongs to the circulatory system.
Skin is an integumentary system organ. It’s our natural defense against the outside world, and serves to protect and maintain.
Composed of tissues, glands, cells and the protein keratin, skin also has many layers. There are three main layers, with each layer having sublayers within that layer. Layers within layers. These three main layers are the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis.
Dermis means “skin.” Epi- meaning “on,” “over,” or “before,” put together with dermis you have what means, “the skin on top.” Hypo, meaning “under" together with dermis is, "the skin underneath."
Epidermis
Skin's outermost layer. This is the layer that is visible to the naked eye. I suppose if you were to be inflicted with a deep enough laceration, you would be able to see the dermis, but in just everyday conditions, the exposed layer of skin is the epidermis.
Dermis
The "middle layer." This layer contains the tissues, glands, and blood vessels we will later be discussing.
Hypodermis
The lowest layer. It contains the fatty lipids that insulate us and eventually connects us to our bones.
The Epidermis
The image above is a diagram for the epidermis. It is part 1 of 2 of the layers in which we focus our energy on. Altogether, we as human beings are a bunch of cells. Likewise, so is our skin. Yet, depending on the location and area at hand (okay that is so not fair. No pun intended. Didn't even see it until it was already too late), when it comes to skin cells, there are four types: keratinocytes, melanocytes, Langerhans cells, and merkle cells. Personally, I think it looks a lot like pancakes or ham slices, eggs, pomegranate seeds, and some sand.
Keratinocytes
Depicted here as piles of pancakes. Whenever there is a casual conversation taking place regarding skin cells (what? It's actually a very common occurrence in my life, I'll have you know), most commonly what people have in mind, are keratinocytes. I also totally get rocky sediment layers or perhaps the formation of a mountain..anyways the stratum corneum is the layer of your skin, that actually is comprised of dead skin cells, that have become entirely flattened on their journey to the surface from the stratum spinosum. Cells in this uppermost layer are made entirely of keratin, have no existing nucleus, and are no longer living, but instead are entirely dead. Hmm. I kinda like that sentence. It's almost oddly satisfying.
Keratinocytes undergo a process of being "keratinized," which is white-lab-coat speak for "hardening." Just like if you leave a pancake on the stove for too long. The reason that they die and harden, is because they eventually are cut off from the nutrients they receive from the stratum layers just below. The dying keratinocyte cells surface from the stratum granulosum, where they look a little like sunny side up eggs.
Before they morph into eggs, in their prime pomegranate stages, keratinocytes are fully alive in the stratum spinosum.
Melanocytes
These little beauties are actually what give us the pigmentation in our skin, or simply put: the color of our skin.
They produce melanin, and are located at the basement layer of the epidermis, or the "Stratum Basale."
Langerhans Cells.
Hanging out, making friends, and standing guard in the basement layer (stratum basale) are these cells.
They are included as part of the skin's immune system.
Merkel Cells.
Also located inside the stratum basale. They are responsible for allowing us to have our sense of touch.
The Dermis
- Pacinan Corpuscle: Pressure Sensors.
- Veins: carry dirty blood to the heart.
- Arteries: carry clean blood to the body.
- Sebatious Gland: human oil.
- Eccrine Sweat Gland: excretes sweat - a mixture of water and salt.
- Arrector Pili: muscle that is responsible for making our hair stand up. Thought to help trap air and keep us warmer.
- Reticular Dermis: connective tissue that houses all the above.
Resoruces
