The Layers of Skin

The Layers of Skin by John Grimes

Not only is skin more than one layer, but the layers of skin themselves consist of several sub layers as well.

The outside layer of skin, and the one that you see when you look at a human body, is called the epidermis. The epidermis serves as the main barrier between the inside of the body and the outside world. It keeps water and infection out. The epidermis is made up of keratinocytes, melanocytes, and Langerhans cells. The epidermis is actually composed of several layers. The outside layer is the corneum. After that is the granulose, spinosum and basale. There is an extra layer present in the palms of the hands and the bottom of the feet, and this accounts for the extra thick skin found here. That extra layer is called the lucidum. In the basale, cells are formed through the process of mitosis. There are no blood vessels in the epidermis. The only blood supply comes from capillaries that are found in the level below the dermis, the epidermis. After cells are created in the basale, they move up through the other levels of the epidermis. Because they move away from the blood source, they eventually die. When they reach the corneum, they are removed away from the body. These dead skin cells are constantly being released from our body, although in most instances we do not realize it.

As the cells move through the layers of the epidermis, the cytoplasm in the cells is released. In its place, a protein called keratin is inserted. This is why the process is called keratinization. The whole process takes around thirty days. Keratinization is important, because the layer of skin that has the keratin protein in it keeps harmful things from entering our body and keeps the water in our body from leaving.

Below the epidermis is the dermis. The dermis is made up of mostly connective tissue. This layer of skin has many important functions. It acts as a barrier against harm to the skin. It also houses the nerve endings in the skin. These nerve endings allow us to feel touch as well as heat. Also present in the dermis are the hair follicles, several types of glands, lymphatic and blood vessels.

The blood vessels in the dermis provide food for the cells, as well as removing waste. They not only serve the cells in the dermis, but also the cells in the basale level of the epidermis.

The different levels of the skin work together to allow the many functions that our skin performs. Skin makes up about fifteen percent of our body weight, and its importance is on par with many of our other vital organs.

John Grimes is with AllTerrainco.com - makers of natural sanitizer products for skin care.

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