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Children Sun Safety Education Center > Your Skin
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The skin is the body's largest organ, covering the entire outside of the body.
It weighs approximately six pounds. That’s approximately your weight when you were born |
The skin is a a protective shield against heat, light, injury and infection. It also regulates your body temperature, stores water, fat and vitamin D and a sensor to feeling. |
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Throughout your body, the skin's characteristics vary in thickness, color, and texture. For example, your head contains more hair follicles than anywhere else, while the soles of your feet contain none. In addition, the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands have much thicker layers. |
The skin is made of three layers, called the epidermis, dermis, and the subcutaneous layer. Each layer performs a specific function. |
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Epidermis |
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The epidermis is the thin outer layer of the skin. It is always making new skin cells to replace the old ones that are shed from the skin’s surface. The epidermis also contains melanocytes, which are cells that produce melanin. Melanin gives skin its color. The darker your skin is the more melanin you have. |
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Dermis |
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The dermis is the middle layer of your skin. The dermis is made up of blood vessels, hair follicles, sweat glands, and subcutaneous (oil) gland, and erector pills.The dermis is held together by a protein called collagen, made by fibroblasts (skin cells that give the skin its strength and elasticity). This layer also contains pain and touch receptors, known as nerve endings. |
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Subcutaneous Layer |
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This is the deepest layer of skin. It is also known as the fatty layer. The subcutaneous layer is made up of a network of collagen and fat cells. These help to conserve the body’s heat and protecting other organs from injury by acting as a shock absorber. |
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Pore |
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Tiny openings in your skin to allow sweat to escape. |
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Sweat Gland |
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Glands which release sweat, a salty liquid, when you perspire. |
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Nerve Ending |
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They are sensory receptors that send signals to the brain through the nervous system. |
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Blood Vessels |
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They are tubes that that carry blood, oxygen, and other nutrients to and from the skin cells. |
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Hair Follicle |
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Each hair grows from one of these tiny tubes in the skin. You have hair follicles all over your body, except on your lips, the palms of your hands, and the soles of your feet. And you have more hair follicles in some places than in others - there are more than 100,000 follicles on your head alone! |
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Erector Pill |
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These are tiny muscles that pull on you hair, which makes your hair stand up straight. This usually happens when you get Goosebumps. |
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Subcutaneous (oil) Gland |
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They are glands that produce an oil substance called sebum.It keeps your skin lubricated and protected. |
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Hair |
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Each hair consists of layers of dead keratinized cells which acts as a covering for the skin to prevent heat loss. |
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