We may do a lot to take care of some of our internal organs such as the heart, brain, liver and so on, but we perhaps spare less thought for the biggest organ of the body – the skin, which the National Geographic compiled some interesting facts about –
- The skin not only protects us from the outside world, but also connects us to it, and consists of an intricate network of nerves, glands, and cell layers. Our skin protect us from the sun, waterproof us, insulate us from extremes of temperature, chemicals, bacterial and other invasions, and help us sense the outside world.
- Our skin is the body’s biggest and heaviest organ – it covers some 22 square feet or 2 square meters, and weighs about 8 pounds.
- The color of our skin is determined by the amount and type of melanin that is produced by the epidermis. It is this melanin that protects us from sun damage and problems such as skin cancer. So darker skinned people are usually from tropical areas where this sun protection is most necessary, and lighter skinned people are native to areas with weak sunshine. This is the reason that Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world – an environment of very bright sun shine populated largely by people of light skin.
