In this entry I will discuss your skin. Our skin is the largest organ within our body. It covers a surface area of around 2 square metres and in adults weighs about 5 kilograms. It is your main interface with the outside world and no other organ in your body is as exposed to damage through injury, environmental pollution or smoking or disease through germs as your skin. Your skin's appearance is a direct reflection of both your inner world (emotions, mental state, etc) and the outer environment (work place, home, nutrients, etc) that you expose yourself to on a daily basis.

Your skin performs a large number of functions for your body. It is your interface with the outside world through the nerves in your skin sensing touch, changes in temperature, pain and itching. Through this it is able to help regulate your body temperature through sweat which also eliminates toxins and waste products from your body. The acidic nature of the toxins and waste eliminated through our skin means that our skin’s pH level is acidic. The benefit of this is that this acidic layer kills viruses and bacteria that try to attack us through our skin. Finally two other functions that it performs are the absorption of various oils and liquids and the production of vitamin D which is crucial for calcium absorption in your intestines, anti-cancer activity, anti-inflammatory effects, its ability to strengthen the immune and finally its capacity to regulate DNA itself. It is the richness of skin’s functions and the it’s complex nature that clearly shows that your skin is a clear barometer of what is happening within your body. It is why skincare depends not just on what you put on your skin but also what you put in your mouth.

The skin is basically dived into two layers. There is a thick inner layer which is the main body of your skin called the dermis, and a thin outer layer called the epidermis. Just underneath the dermis is a layer of fat cells called the subcutaneous fat that provides an extra protective cushion to your skin. The epidermis is comprised of four layers: 1.

The stratum corneum or horny layer; 2. The stratum granulosum or granular layer; 3. The stratum spinosum or prickle-cell layer; and 4. The stratum germinativum or basal-cell layer. All cells begin their journey in the basal-cell layer and gradually work their way through the prickle-cell layer and granular layer to the stratum corneum changing their structure along the route. When they reach the stratum corneum the cells are now comprised of primarily dead cells made up of a protein called keratin and different types of lipids (oils). Their protein and fat is used in helping the epidermis to hold in moisture and to allow toxins and waste to pass out of the body. These cells provide us with a layer of protection since our living cells are comprised of about 80% water. If they were to make direct contact with air, we would shrivel up and die since the air contains about 1% water. The cells in the stratum corneum are thin but very tough. This layer is constantly being renewed as the cells are constantly being rubbed off throughout our lives.

The dermis provides the bulk of our skin. It contains not only living cells but blood vessels, connective tissue, lymph vessels, elastin and collagen fibres, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands as well as nerves. The sebaceous glands open either directly on to the skin in some places but primarily open into hair follicles. They produce an oily substance called sebum that helps prevent the hair from drying out and becoming brittle as well as keeping your skin oily. The four million sweat glands around your body serve to prevent us from overheating as well as eliminating some waste products. The lymph vessels facilitate the flow of lymph fluids throughout your body. The lymph fluids transport various substances between your cells such as fats and fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) to be absorbed through the gut, pulling waste products from your cells, drains the excess fluids that gathers around your cells and filters foreign organisms and other matter to be trapped in the lymph nodes where they can be attacked by our immune system.

Collagen is absolutely essential as it is the connective tissue that binds, supports and strengthens other tissues. The essential vitamin for maintaining appropriate levels of collagen is vitamin C. The key protein in the collagen, hydroxyproline requires vitamin C. When your body is deficient in vitamin C, scurvy can develop. Elastin the other key protein in your skin is what gives skin its resilience. It allows for skin to stretch up to one and a half times its normal size and spring back again. It is believed that changes in the structure to elastin leads to wrinkles in your skin. Finally something that has not been mentioned is skin colour. Skin colour is determined by three main pigments: melanin, carotene and haemoglobin. The main determinant is melanin which melanocyte cells produces higher amount of melanin in people living in sunnier climates as protection against absorbing ultra-violet light. Carotene provides the yellow-orange type pigment that is seen in carrots. Your body transforms carotene into vitamin A. Haemoglobin is the molecule that carries oxygen in the blood. It provides the reddish colour at different times due to the capillaries near the surface of your skin.

So it is clear the skin is a very key organ in the body. At the same time it is given a low priority by your body as the organs that are essential for life. This means that your body will provide blood, water and nutrients first to your heart and brain well before your skin. If your skin is not healthy, strong and supple you can be sure that you are not providing all the vital nutrients in your diet that are required by your body to provide every organ in your body with what it needs.

References:

Reverse Aging; Sang Whang
Solve your skin problems; Patrick Holford & Natalie Savona