Skin is a funny thing. We see it all day every day, but most of us probably don’t give our skin much thought most of the time (over and above those little signs of aging, that is). You see it every time you look in the mirror. You see it right in front of you all day long. In fact, your skin is probably one of the first things you see when you wake up in the morning.
But just how much do you really know about your skin? For instance, did you know that, like your heart, your liver, and your lungs, your skin is actually an organ? It’s true, but to be more precise, your skin just happens to be the largest organ in your body. And, besides being the human body’s largest organ, the skin has loads of other cool things going on, as it’s definitely one of the most fascinating organs in the body. Here are more fun facts about skin from top dermatologists in New Jersey that might just make you, well, jump out of your skin!
Color my world
The world is filled with literally billions of people, and all of us are different sizes, shapes, nationalities, and colors… a fact that certainly makes life on Earth more interesting than if we were all the same, wouldn’t you say? But where do our skin’s different tints and shades come from? You may already know a little about pigmentation, but to be a bit more precise, the substance within the skin is called melanin, which actually is a broader term for a group of natural pigments. The more melanin our skin contains, the darker it will be. Another interesting fact about skin color is about the lips. Ever wondered why your lips are red? It’s because just under the thin skin of the lips are blood vessels which actually show through, making your lips that kissable shade of cherry red!
Dead to the world
Skin is a veritable graveyard of dead cells. Every square inch of your body contains about 19,000,000 (yes, that’s million!) skin cells. Believe it or not, that equals more than 20 feet of skin! So how many of those 19 million cells end up dead by the end of the year? About one and a half pounds of it! It’s true… you’re literally losing weight as you sleep, since those dead cells are constantly being sloughed off to make way for new, living cells. And by the time a year has passed, you’ve unloaded more than a pound and a half of those dead suckers! There is, however, one myth that’s been circulated about the circulation of those dead skin cells, but don’t you believe it. Contrary to the popular myth, dust is not made up mostly of dead human skin cells. The fact is that there’s a lot more dust out there that’s made up of other sources such as plain old pollutants.
The thin of it
It’s already been established that the skin of the lips is very thin, causing blood vessels to show through and give lips their reddish tint. So what about the skin on the rest of the human body? Which area of the body has the thinnest skin of all? It’s your eyelids, which typically is the reason why eyelids tend to take a lion’s share of the aging process.
You don’t just have skin so that those who look at you won’t be being grossed out from seeing your innards every time they glance your way. Your skin protects your innards from invasions of foreign bodies such as bacteria. It also helps your body’s temperature to stay regulated. In fact, goose bumps (also referred to as goose flesh and goose pimples) appear on your body in order to keep a layer of warm air over your body, further protecting it from the elements. Pretty cool, huh?! Your skin is tasked with a number of important jobs, not the least of which is keeping you presentable to the world around you. Contact a top dermatologist for more fun facts about your skin, or for information on how to keep your skin healthy throughout your life.