What does your skin actually do?

Your skin isn’t just a delightful covering that makes the body look presentable. The body’s largest organ fulfils many roles that actively maintain health and wellness.

Here at Organic Apoteke, we’re huge fans of all the good stuff the skin does for us. That’s why we develop nature-identical, organic, raw and unprocessed skincare products that enhance every aspect of the skin and improve not just its appearance and beauty but its function and perception.

With this in mind, we’re dedicating this blog post to all the essential functions of the skin so you can discover just how miraculous this organ is.

It protects your body

Your skin is first and foremost a protective barrier that shields you and all your organs, tissues and muscles from the nasties we encounter daily.

It’s the outermost layer of the skin – the epidermis – that ensures everything that’s harmful stays outside the body and all the good stuff that your body needs to function stays in. Healthline explains more about the protective nature of the epidermis:

“Bacteria, viruses and other infectious agents are kept out, helping prevent infections on your skin. Water and nutrients are kept in for the body to use.

Body parts that are more susceptible to injury, like the soles of your feet and palms of your hands, have a thicker epidermis for even better protection.”

Thanks to the skin, sensitive internal organs and tissues remain well protected from dehydration, trauma, sun damage, pollution and even harsh weather conditions.

It feels everything

The skin is a powerful sensory organ, and its abilities put the skin in the same category as the eyes, ears and mouth. Your skin senses more than your eyes!

Your skin feels touch, pain, pressure, temperature changes, vibration, and injury amongst other things.

Skin perception relates to the sensory abilities of the skin, with your skin transmitting sensory information to ensure our wider bodies can adapt and survive in different environments.

As the largest organ of perception, your skin essentially enables you to experience life more fully, interpreting every touch to function even better in different settings.

With the sensing of pain and pressure and the absorption of shock, the skin also alerts us and protects us from danger.

It stores all the essentials

Your skin provides vital storage for the water and fat reserves your body needs to survive. Its water resistance also means the nutrients required by the wider body aren’t washed away and can continue to be used positively.

In addition to this, the skin prevents evaporation and subsequent water loss that can be particularly damaging to health.

It regulates temperature

While most of us see sweating as an unfortunate side effect, your skin’s sweat glands play a vital role in keeping your body the right temperature even when temperatures take a dip or increase externally.

Using blood vessels, sweat glands and fatty layers, your skin acts as a very important body thermostat.

Again your skin’s sensory abilities help here. If your skin senses warmer temperatures, it will produce more sweat and dilate blood vessels to decrease body temperature.

In cooler climates, your skin will produce goosebumps and constrict blood vessels to warm your body up.

It boosts immunity

The skin has an extraordinary ability to repair and regenerate. Team this with the incredible physical barrier it puts between you and the outside world, and your skin successfully protects you from infection, disease, and toxins. The skin also works with the wider immune system to target and destroy harmful microorganisms to keep your body healthy.

Choose a skincare routine that helps, not inhibits, the natural functions of your skin by browsing our skincare solutions today.

Photo: puhhha / Shutterstock.com