Skin Functions

• Skin is the largest organ of the body.
• It has an area of around 2 square metres (22 square feet) in adults, and weighs about 5 kilograms
• The thickness of skin varies from 0.5mm thick on the eyelids to 4.0mm thick on the heels of your feet.
• Skin is the major barrier between the inside and outside of your body!

Skin has a number of functions:

1. Protection: it protects against UV light, mechanical, thermal and chemical stresses, dehydration and invasion by micro-organisms.
2. Sensation: skin has receptors that sense touch, pressure, pain and temperature.
3. Thermoregulation: various features of the skin are involved in regulating temperature of the body. For example sweat glands, hair, and adipose tissue.
4. Metabolic functions: subcutaneous adipose tissue is involved in production of vitamin D, and triglycerides.