Skin+Cells+-+RJ

toc = Introduction = = = Imagine a dam. The great wall that leaves a lake’s water in place and out of a river’s flow. Now, imagine your skin like a dam. It keeps all the important organs and bones inside your body, and out of harm’s way. Skin is very important for every human or animal. We all need our skin to survive. Skin has many layer of cells, that eventually flake off and grow back. Without it, we would be a pile of bones and insides on the ground. `

= What is Skin and What Are Its Functions? = **Skin**, is the outside covering of our bodies. There are many layers, but two main layers. The inside layer is called the **dermis**. The dermis is the live layer of skin cells.The **epidermis** is the outside layer of your skin. The epidermis is layer of dead skin cells that flake off over time, to make space for new cells. Although it may not seem like it, the epidermis has a very important role to our bodies. Epidermis produces vitamin D from sunlight. Vitamin D helps our bodies digest calcium, which is very good for our bones. It makes them strong and healthy. Epidermis also helps get all of the yucky toxins and waste out of our bodies. Sweat glands are in the epidermis. When we sweat, all of the dirt and other gross wastes in our pores and skin are washed away. One last function that the epidermis does is send info from what you touch, to your brain. Inside the epidermis, much like the sweat glands, are nerve cells. Nerve cells are kept in the epidermis, and take the information from the objects your skin touch, to the brain. From there, the brain takes over and processes what you are feeling. Without skin, you wouldn’t be able to touch and feel anything. = = = How Does Skin Protect Our Bodies? = Whether you know it or not, skin protects our bodies. Without it, we would not be able to survive. For example, the skin produces vitamin D. Vitamin D not only strengthens your bones, allowing you to use them, but is also very good for your immune system. Another reason that skin protects our bodies is that it keeps our bones and insides-well, inside our bodies of course! Without skin, we would be just a pile of bones and organs, incapable of moving or really doing anything. One more reason that skin protects our bodies is that it is a protector of our bones. Just like a cushy support pillow, the thick layers of skin protect our bones from a lot of potential injuries. For instance, if you fall out of a small tree, there is a chance of breaking a bone, however there is more of a chance that your skin takes the fall damage. Skin is more than a layer of tissue, it is a major source of our safety.

= What are Some Skin Diseases and What Damage Do They Cause? = Although skin is very helpful, it can harbor many diseases, some that are even life-threatening. For instance, one skin disease called melanoma, is a deadly cancer caused by over radiation from the sun’s harmful U.V. rays. The sun has U.V. rays, or ultraviolet rays, that can burn your skin. This is what causes sunburn. If your skin is exposed to too many ultraviolet rays, you can get melanoma. Tanning beds are also a major cause of melanoma. They use fake U.V. rays to get a tan faster, however, there are more concentrated u.v. rays in tanning beds, so it’s easier to get melanoma. Melanoma causes the skin to hurt, or itch. Then, it slowly kills you. Fortunately, there are treatments for this form of cancer, and it can most likely be stopped. = Can We Keep Our Skin Clean and Healthy? = It is very important to keep our skin clean, so that health problems do not occur. There are well-like pits in our skin, almost invisible to the eye, called **pores**. Pores go from the epidermis, to well within the dermis. If you do not keep your skin clean, then, dirt and bacteria can clog your pores. This can cause zits, pimples, or blackheads. It can even cause infection. In order to prevent this, use a clean washcloth, with a little bit of mild soap and warm water. wash your face twice daily, and whenever your shower. Some people have more trouble with pimples and blackheads than others, so they use prescription soaps or other forms of dirt removal, along with home remedies. Some work, and some will not. It really depends on the person, since everyone is different. Trial and error are a big factor of cleaning your pores. = = = Why are Tattoos Permanent? = Ink tattoos are patterns or pictures that are transferred onto your skin by a tattoo artist using a needle machine. Ink tattoos are different from water transfer tattoos, which are not permanent. Ink tattoos however, are indeed permanent. You may be asking yourself, “If washing your face with a little bit of mild soap can get deep into the depths of your skin’s pores to clean away grime, why can’t it wash away a tattoo?” The answer to that question is because of a process caused by **macrophages**. Macrophages are cells within our blood that look for foreign materials in the body, and eat them. So, when the needle pierces the skin, macrophages are on high alert, much like a watch dog. When the ink is seep into the dermis, like an intruder in the macrophages home, they rush to attack it. They absorb it, and keep it in place. That is why the ink stays in place. Since the ink is trapped in the dermis, it does not flake off with the epidermis. Eventually, the macrophages will die, causing a new macrophage to eat it. After the layers and layers of macrophages are added, the tattoo fades, and you must redo the entire process over again.media type="youtube" key="DMuBif1mJz0" width="560" height="315" All of the information from the the tattoo section is from this TedEd video.

= = = Conclusion = Although it may not seem like it, skin is very important because without it, we would be a pile of bones and organs on the ground. Imagine a world without skin. We would not be standing, or doing anything today. Skin might not have as much functions as other cells, but it is just as important as the last. = = = References =

Haynes, Richard. Human Biology and Health. Boston: Pearson Education, 2007. Print.

= = Specialized Cells and Tissue Cochran, 1997. Video Segment Discovery Education. Web. 17/2/2016. .

= = What Makes Tattoos Permanent. Dir. Hector Herrera. Prod. Pazit Cahlon. Ed. Alex Gendler. Youtube. N.p., 10 July 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. . = =

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