How Your Skin Works

By: Omar Williams
Can you imagine how we would look if we do not have skin covering us up? That may be too gross for our imagination.

The skin is the largest vital organ of the human body. It covers you up, keeps you warm and keeps you cool. It also decides what can be absorbed and what should be rejected.

Skin that is clogged and unhealthy is not just a beauty problem. It can become a hindrance to your sense of vitality and wellness. Proper care of your skin is important not only to your personal sense of beauty but also to proper elimination, more graceful aging and overall health.

It acts as a mechanical barrier to infections. It ultimately prevents microorganisms and other substances from entering the body.


Langerhans cells (a type of macrophage) are found within the dermis, they engulf invaders foreign to the body and debris.

Keratin layers in the epidermis together with sebum produced by sebaceous glands act as a waterproof barrier.

Melanocytes protect the body from ultraviolet light

Finger and toenails protect the extremities of fingers and toes from damage. Fingertips are important for dexterity and the sense of touch; they have ridged areas to assist in picking things up.
Hair follicles offer some extra protection to certain parts of the body such as eyes and head.

It regulates body temperature. Considerable heat is lost through the skin. Even under extreme conditions of high temperature and exercise, our skin tends to make body temperature normal.The production (evaporation) of sweat in the skin cools us down when exposed to too much heat.

The core body temperature needs to be kept constant for normal physiological activity to take place (370c). It needs to maintain a core temperature for homeostasis.

Skin excretes waste product and excess salt from the body. Sweat includes waste products in solution. Water is lost continuously through the skin as insensible sweating. More pronounced water loss through sweating occurs as part of temperature regulation.

Skin provides the sense of touch or sensation we need to know more about our outside environment through recognizing heat, cold, pain and other sensations. Nerve endings of the skin provide the body with a great deal of information about the outside environment.

Skin synthesizes the use of Vitamin D in the presence of sunlight and ultra violet radiation needed for the absorption of calcium and phosphate.

So take care of your skin. No other organ in our body would perform these functions for you.
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Causes of Acne
Just because of acne… Do you feel like a vampire who shies away at your mirror? Are you afraid of your own reflection?
Chances are there are also about 60 million people feeling the way you do.

For most of us humans, acne seems to be the bane of our existence. And it is not totally unfounded. Acne, nowadays, is the most prevalent and most common medical condition affecting more than 60 million people in the United States alone.

What exactly are the causes of acne that so many people
suffer from it?

Here are the most common causes of acne that we have gathered for you:

Hormones: the number one cause of acne is the production of sex hormones, known as androgen, that begins at puberty. This is why majority of acne sufferers are adolescents and teens. Hormones are responsible for then acne flare-ups during menstruation and pregnancy.

When the sebaceous gland is stimulated by androgens, it produces extra sebum. In its journey up the follicle toward the surface, the sebum mixes with common skin bacteria and dead skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the follicle. While this process is normal, the presence of extra sebum in the follicle increases the chances of clogging — and acne.

Stress can also cause the production of hormones, such as cortisol, which can aggravate acne. Stress brings upon different hormone levels. With hormone changes the body prompts the skins oil glands to enlarge, secreting more oil. Which causes white heads, black heads and pimples.

Oily or heavy make up: Heavy make-up clogs the pores and oily make-ups add more oil, which only adds to the problem if oily skin already exists. Cosmetics, especially certain moisturizers, foundations and pomades contain lanolin, petrolatum, vegetable oils, butyl stearate, lauryl alcohol and oleic acid.

Certain medications and steroids: Vitamins are good for your body, But an excess of vitamins B1, B6 and B12 can cause acne flare-ups. These vitamins are good for the skin, but avoid overuse.

Diet: For some people, a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates and sugars can actually aggravate their acne.
Over abrasive cleansing: Harsh exfoliators can damage skin and spread infections.

Picking and squeezing: This can actually send the infection deeper into the skin and can cause scarring.
Environmental irritants such as high humidity and pollution. High humidity actually causes swelling of skin. Pollution is of course a very big “No No” to good health, not just skin.

Genes family members who are also acne sufferers. Acne is inherited and severe cases known as cystic acne usually come from heredity.
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