Understanding Your Skin
Your skin is an incredible organ that covers approximately 18-22 square feet and completely renews itself every 4-6 weeks. You're constantly shedding skin—30,000 to 40,000 cells every hour! This continuous renewal process keeps your skin healthy and functioning properly.
The skin has multiple layers and structures that work together. The epidermis (outer layer) contains the stratum corneum and pigment layer, while the dermis (middle layer) houses important structures like sweat glands, hair follicles, and nerve receptors. Below these lies the hypodermis, which connects to deeper tissues.
Your skin performs five vital functions that keep you alive and well. It provides protection against physical damage, UV radiation, and pathogens while preventing dehydration. It regulates your body temperature through sweating and blood vessel adjustments—a process called thermoregulation. Your skin also aids in excretion of waste products, enables sensation through specialized nerve receptors, and produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
Did you know? Dermatology, the medical specialty focused on skin conditions, treats the body's largest and fastest-regenerating organ. Your skin completely replaces itself approximately 900 times during an average lifetime!