Skin Functions

The skin is the first line of defence against the onslaughts of the external environment—wind and rain, variations in temperature and humidity, sunlight and attack from all manner of noxious assailants: physical, chemical, animal, vegetable and organismal (parasitic, fungal, bacterial and viral). In all the above functions, the barrier layer, or layer of the skin which is closest to the outside environment, is the major player.

It is also capable of acting as a distress flag, giving us a warning that all is not well inside. If there’s an internal infection or infl ammation, the skin can become hot, red, sore, tender or swollen. If the liver is not functioning properly, or if we are suffering from certain types of anaemia, it may become yellow. It will get itchy in the presence of chemicals to which we’ve become allergic or if we’ve been bitten by some marauding insect.

Less obvious roles of the skin include the production of vitamins, such as vitamin D, which is produced by the effects of sunlight on its precursor in the epidermis. Pheromones, secreted by the apocrine glands, are derived from the epidermis. Another type of hormone called a chalone is also produced in the skin. It is thought to be important in switching on and off the repair mechanisms in the epidermis.



	Skin Functions The skin is the first line of defence against the onslaughts of the external environment—wind and rain, variations in temperature and humidity, sunlight and attack from all manner of noxious assailants: physical, chemical, animal, vegetable and organismal (parasitic, fungal, bacterial and viral). In all the above functions, the barrier layer, or layer of the skin which is closest to the outside environment, is the major player. It is also capable of acting as a distress flag, giving us a warning that all is not well inside. If there’s an internal infection or infl ammation, the skin can become hot, red, sore, tender or swollen. If the liver is not functioning properly, or if we are suffering from certain types of anaemia, it may become yellow. It will get itchy in the presence of chemicals to which we’ve become allergic or if we’ve been bitten by some marauding insect.	Less obvious roles of the skin include the production of vitamins, such as vitamin D, which is produced by the effects of sunlight on its precursor in the epidermis. Pheromones, secreted by the apocrine glands, are derived from the epidermis. Another type of hormone called a chalone is also produced in the skin. It is thought to be important in switching on and off the repair mechanisms in the epidermis.
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