The Skin

• The skin is the largest organ of the human being.
• It contains many specialized cells and structures. It serves as a protective barrier, keeping out environmental damage and bacterias,protecting us from excessive moisture loss. The daily loss of water without the skin would be 23 litres!
• The skin is also concerned with regulating our body temperature in order for our body to function effectively.
• It gathers sensory information from the environment, is waterproof and also plays a role in the function of the immune system, protecting us from disease.
• Finally it also keeps all our organs in place.

The skin consists of 3 layers:

1. The Epidermis
2. The Dermis
3. The subcutaneous layer