Skin - "The Jack of All Trades"

The skin is not just a simple covering of our body. It is one of the most active
organs of the body, functioning in numerous ways.
The skin is the largest organ of our body. It accounts for 15% of an adult
human's total body weight.
WHAT IS SKIN?
The skin is the outermost covering of the body. It is stretched all over in the
form of a layer.
FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN
1. Protection: Protection is the primary function of the skin. It affords
protection in four different ways:
(i) It protects the underlying tissues from mechanical shocks.
(ii) It holds the body fluids inside and prevents excessive loss of water by
evaporation.
(iii) It prevents the entry of harmful substances or disease-causing germs.
2. Sensation: Our skin serves as a sense organ for touch, pain, pressure, heat,
etc.
3. Temperature regulation: The skin prevents loss of heat in cold weather and
facilitates loss of heat in hot weather.
4 Storage of food: The skin stores reserve food in the form of a layer of fat
contained in special cells.
5. Excretion: The skin assists in the process of excretion eliminating water,
salts and, to a very limited extent, urea.
6. Synthesis of Vitamin D: The skin can synthesise vitamin D when exposed to
sunshine.
7. Grip: The skin on our fingers and palms forms ridges and grooves which
provide a more efficient grip.
The structure of Skin
i) Skin Proper
ii) Derivates of the skin

The Skin Proper

Skin is composed of 2 layers – outer Epidermis and inner Dermis
Epidermis
The epidermis is the outer thinner part of the skin. It is formed of stratified
epithelium piled up layer after layer.
The epidermis shows three
regions depth wise :
(a) outermost cornified layer,
(b) middle granular layer and
(c) inner malpighian layer.
(a) The cornified layer
(stratum corneum) is the
outermost layer consisting of
several piled up layers of
flattened dead cells. These
cells are made of a fibrous
structural protein called
keratin.
(b) The granular layer is a very
thin middle layer consisting of
two or three sub-layers of
flattened cells.
(c) The malpighian layer is the
innermost region of the epidermis. It produces new cells and replace dead
cells
Colour of Skin is due to pigment called Melanin found in Malphigian Layer.
Skin pigmentation act as umbrella against UV Rays
Two abnormal conditions of skin pigmentation :
Leukoderma also called "vitiligo": Skin pigmentation is lost from smaller or
larger patches at different regions of the body; exact cause of this disease is
not yet known.
Albinism: Complete loss of pigmentation of the skin all over the body
including hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and even the iris.

Dermis
The dermis is the inner thick layer of connective tissue made of elastic fibres.
It is tough and flexible.
At certain places, the dermis in our skin is very thick as on the palms and
soles, and very thin at other places as in the eyelids. Fat lies beneath the
Dermis in Adipose Tissue

DERIVATIVES OF THE SKIN

The special derivatives of the human skin include the following:
1. Hair
2. Nails
3. Sebaceous glands
4. Sweat glands
5. Mammary glands

Hair
A hair consists of three parts.
(i) Hair shaft is the part which projects from the skin and may extend slightly
below the surface of the epidermis.
(ii) Hair root is the part embedded within the dermis. The lowest part of the
hair root is expanded to form a bulb
(iii) hair bulb which contains a projection of the dermis called hair papilla,
with capillary blood supply.
Hair Follicle is a structure enclosing Hair Root.
Goose Flesh is caused due to Erector Muscle of the hair called Piloerection.
Hair provides sensation of touch as nerve fibres are attached to it base.
Nails
They are hardened Keratinous plate like structure. It consist of Plate, Bed and
Matrix
Sebaceous Glands
These branched glands usually open into a hair though, sometimes they even
open directly to the outside. They give out an oily secretion which makes the
hair and the outer surface of the skin oily and waterproof to keep the
epidermis supple and to prevent loss of water by evaporation.
Three common problems related to sebaceous glands :
1. Pimples : Sebum accumulation, causes growth of bacteria because it is
nutritive, gets infected and results into the formation of boils and pimples.
2. Acne : Sebaceous glands get inflamed due to hormonal influence. It is one
of the commonest problems in adolescents.
3. Black head : Sebaceous glands of the face get enlarged due to accumulated
sebum on oxidation it becomes black.

Sweat Glands
Each sweat gland is a simple coiled tube consisting of a deeper secretory part
and an excretory part which runs upwards to open on the surface. The outer
openings are called the sweat pores. Their total number in the body is
estimated at about two million. Human races belonging to hotter countries
usually have more sweat pores than those belonging to colder ones.
Sweat Consist of 99% Water and 1% Urea.

Mammary Glands
The mammary glands are modified sweat glands. These glands are present
both in males and females. But in males, they persist only in a rudimentary
state, whereas in females at puberty, they enlarge in the form of a pair of
breasts.
Meibomian glands: These are modified sebaceous glands which open on the
margins of the eyelids. Their secretion is oily and serves to lubricate the
margins of the lids and to prevent the overflow of tears.
Ceruminous glands: These are modified sebaceous glands found in the
auditory canal and secrete wax like substance called cerumen or earwax
which lubricates and protects the delicate eardrum from dust particles and
germs.
SKIN AND HEAT REGULATION OF BODY
All mammals including humans are warm blooded so are the birds. They all
maintain a more or less constant body temperature even if it is very cold or
very hot outside.

ECTOTHERMAL and ENDOTHERMAL

The terms cold-blooded and warm-blooded have been substituted by
poikilothermal and homeothermal respectively.
Normal Human Temperature is 37 C.

Heat Production:
There are many sources of heat production in our body.
• Chemical reactions occurring in all body cells, especially in the liver by the
oxidation of glucose, generally produce heat.
• Mostof the heat produced in our body comes from the activity of our
muscles. Vigorous activity makes you warm on a cold day and overheats you
on a hot day.
•Asmall amount of heat comes from the ingestion of hot foods and
beverages.

Heat Loss:
Heat is lost from our body through the following four channels.
1. Skin: About 85 per cent of the body heat is lost through the skin by
convection, conduction, radiation and through evaporation of sweat.
2. Lungs: Heat is lost in the warm air which is breathed out. This loss in warm
air can easily be experienced by gently blowing on the back of your hand
keeping the mouth wide open. Some heat is also lost during vaporisation of
water from the lungs.
3. Urine and Faeces: These substances are eliminated at body temperature.
4. Foods: Heat is also lost when cold food, water, or cold beverages are taken
into the body.

Temperature regulation:
The principal heat-regulating centre is located in the hypothalamus, a portion
of the fore-brain. This part acts like a thermostat. When the body tends to cool
below the normal temperature, it switches on or speeds up the heat-producing
processes, and when the body tends to get overheated, it accelerates the
cooling process, and switches off the heat- producing processes.

IN COLD WEATHER-
When outside temperature is low, the blood vessels get narrowed
(vasoconstriction). This reduces the blood supply to the skin. As a result,
there is less loss of heat by convection, conduction and radiation, and also
less loss of it through vaporisation of sweat. As the blood supply to the skin
is reduced, the sweat glands also secrete less sweat. This is a natural method
to conserve body heat.
When vasoconstriction occurs, it makes a person look pale or bluish, because
of reduced blood supply to the skin. Simultaneously, the heat production is
increased by the increased metabolic rate and through increased muscular
activity which is sometimes in the form of shivering.

IN HOT WEATHER-
When the outside temperature is high or when a person is engaged in
strenuous physical work, which means overproduction of heat within the
body, the blood supply to the skin is increased by the dilation of blood
vessels in the skin (vasodilation). This results in greater loss of heat by
radiation, etc., and also by vaporisation of sweat (latent heat) which is now
produced in larger quantities due to the rich supply of blood to the skin. Air
movements over the body help speed up evaporation of sweat; that is why the
fans which do not cool the air of the room, have a cooling effect on our body.
Heatstroke or "sunstroke" is a condition in which sweat production is unable
to keep pace with its evaporation in very hot winds. This results in the rise in
body temperature (fever) which may sometimes be fatal. Drinking a lot of
water and taking a little more of salt in summer is a good precaution against
heatstroke.