Skin+Cells+-+MA

= = toc = -Introduction = Your skin is the largest organ in your body, but how much do you really know about it? Living life without skin skin cells may not seem like a big deal, but skin cells actually hold all of your organs, bones, and muscles together. Imagine a balloon filled with water. What if the balloon did not exist? Then the water would splash everywhere! This is the same with your skin cells. Without your skin cells, your organs, bones, and muscles would be flopping all over the place! = = = -Structure = The structure of skin cells may seem complicated, but the truth is, it is very simple. The outermost layer of skin is the skin is called the epidermis. We lose around 1,000,000 skin cells per day. This layer is constantly shedding skin cells and then forming new skin cells by the process of cell division. The keratin and oil from thes ebaceous glands help to make the skin waterproof. The dermis is the innermost layer. The following tissues and structures are found in the dermis. = = -Connective tissue – packs and binds the other structures in the skin. -Elastic fibres – make the skin resilient. -Capillaries – tiny blood vessels. -Muscle fibres – to move the position of the hairs. -Sensory cells – to sense touch, pressure, heat, cold and pain. -Nerve fibres – to activate muscles and glands and relay messages from the sensory cells to the brain. -Pigment cells which produce [|Melanin] – a very dark pigment. -Sweat [|glands] which open onto the surface as pores -Hair follicles – pits in the epidermis in which hairs grow. -Sebaceous glands – produce oil to keep hair follicle free from dust and bacteria, and to help to waterproof the skin. = = All of these structures help the dermis function and are very important. = = = -Function = Your skin cells have many significant jobs and tasks to take on. One of those tasks is to control the temperature in your body. It is very important that your body has a consistent temperature of 98.6 degrees fahrenheit, (37 celsius). Wherever you go, your body temperature should always be 98.6 fahrenheit. This process is controlled by a feedback system. The feedback system sends messages from the temperature sensitive receptors, in the skin, to the hypothalamus. From the hypothalamus, messages are sent to other parts of the body including back to the skin, to keep heat in and lose the excess heat. If the body is too cold, then small muscles cause the hair to raise. The hair raising confines the air giving the look of goose bumps. In this case, air is an insulator, keeping as much heat in the skin as possible. The amount of heat loss depends on the amount of blood flowing through the skin. If the body is too hot then Click on this link to learn more cool information about some of the other important functions of your skin: [|____http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/skin/skin3.cfm?coSiteNavigation_allTopic=1____]

-What is the Science Behind Skin Color?
The science behind skin color involves many different elements. Melanin is the pigment that gives your skin and hair its color. Melanin comes from skin cells called melanocytes. There are two basic forms of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin is the type of melanin that produces brown skin tones as well as black, brown, and blonde hair. Pheomelanin is the type of melanin that produces the reddish brown of freckles and red hair. Melanin in your eyes and hair is like red food dye in your cupcakes. The red food dye causes the cupcake to turn red, just like melanin causes your skin and hair to be a certain color. = -How Do Wounds Heal Themselves? = Have you ever wondered how a cut heals itself? Or what happens when you get a wound? Well wounds tend to heal fast, but sometimes the cut reaches the dermis where nerves and glands are located. When a wound reaches the dermis, it triggers the four overlapping stages of the generative process. The first stage is Hemostasis. Hemostasis is the skin’s response to two immediate threats: loss of blood and epidermis being harmed. The second stage is Inflammation is when the skin turns red and the body sends cells to fight any pathogens that may have gotten into your body. Think of these cells as vacuums that suck up all of the germs around them. The third stage is the Proliferative stage. This is when fiberglass cells begin to enter the wound. They produce fibrous protein called collagen, in the wound site forming a collective skin tissue. Think of this stage as the stage when the new skin starts to reform. The fourth and final stage is that Remodeling stage. This is when the collagen is converted into specific types. This process can take over a year and causes skin to improve. = = = -What Makes a Tattoo Permanent? = Have you ever wondered what really happens when you get a tattoo? Tattooing involves injecting pigment deep beneath the skin (deeper than the skin cells that get shed). The process of tattooing requires inserting tiny needles loaded with dye,into the dermis where vessels, nerves, and glands are located, at a frequency of 3,000 times per minute. However, there is a way to get rid of tattoos. Lasers can blast apart the pigment colors under your epidermis. media type="youtube" key="DMuBif1mJz0" width="560" height="315" = = = -Indoor and Outdoor Tanning = Indoor and outdoor tanning both can have a huge impact on your skin such as cancer, and wrinkles when you grow older. If the UV rays hit your skin for a long time, the skin will burn. If your skin continues to absorb the UV rays, you can develop a skin cancer called melanoma. Doctors say that indoor tanning is one reason that they are treating more patients for skin cancer. Ten indoor tanning sessions in two weeks can suppress a person’s cancer-fighting immune system. The amount of melanin affects how badly your skin reacts to the sun. When the light hits the skin, it triggers special light sensitive receptors called rhodopsin. On the contrary, UV light helps your body produce Vitamin D which strengthens our bones and helps us absorb vital minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, and zinc.





-Conclusion
Your skin plays a huge part in your everyday life. You should know to always wear sunscreen to prevent a bad skin cancer called melanoma. You should also know now what happens when you get a tattoo, and how your skin cells operate to heal a wound in your body. The structure and function of your skin is very important and something that we all need to know about. After all, your skin is the biggest organ in your body!

= -References =