Layer
of Skin
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Skin Structure
Layer of skin are the layers that cover up our body. Our skin is made up of three layers - the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis is protecting body against infection and dehydration. Beneath, the dermis is responsible for the elasticity for skin, which is vital to unimpaired body movement, and lastly the subcutaneous tissue or the fat containing layer is lies below the dermis layer which houses nerves, blood vessels, and the lymphatics.
Epidermis
The Epidermis is the top layer of your skin and the one
you can actually see. The epidermis, like your other organs, it has to work
constantly to keep you alive. The top layer is actually made up of dead cells
or coenocytes. This outer layer naturally acts as your body's armor, protecting
you from the sun, wind and rain. As your skin renews itself, the dead cells
gradually slough off to make room for new ones by travel up through the
epidermal layer. 95% of your epidermis is working to create new cells, the
balance 5% are composed of melanocytes, which produce Melanin, the substance
that gives your skin its color and Langerhan cells, which work with the immune
system to help you fight off disease. When you are young, this layer replaces
itself every 16 days or so, giving you fresh, healthy looking skin. By the time
you hit 35, the layer is only replacing itself about once a month. Your skin
begins to look more tired and worn.
Dermis
The next layer down is the dermis layer. Unlike epidermis this layer has
blood vessels, which provide blood to the upper epidermis layer. It can
not be reached by lotions and creams or such beauty products. Those items only
work their way into the epidermis. This layer produces collagen, elastin and
reticulin. It is this layer that stays elastic or gets saggy, to cause wrinkles
or firmness in your skin look. If you get a tan to many times, you destroy that
elasticity in your skin, and make it look old and wrinkle. The dermis also house
nerve endings, oil glands and sweat glands - the various engine parts that keep
the skin in order. Nerve endings allow you to feel the sun on your face and the
sand between your toes. Sweet glands help keep your skin cool; oil glands
produce sebum, which keep your skin soft, pliable and waterproof. This is the
function of skin, to keep foreign substances out of your body system.
Subcutaneous Tissue (Hypodermis)
The lower layer of your skin is the hypodermis. It is here that the main
sweat glands, hair follicles, and main blood vessels of your skin layer lives.
If you take hold of a hair with a tweezers and yank it out, that hair follicle
you see at the end of your hair just came from your hypodermis.
Each layer of skin has its own life cycle. The top layer - or epidermis - exfoliates normally. That means that the top cells wear away, new cells grow beneath to replace them, and so on. This is just how the hair on your head works, too. However, the dermis is a much more permanent layer. When people get tattoos, the tattoo needles go through the epidermis and inject the ink into the dermis. That is why, even though the top layer of skin constantly renews, the tattoo stays there for a person's entire life.
