9 Facts About Your Skin

Caring for your health means learning more about your body. Your skin is likely the part of your body you see the most. How facts about skin do you really know about it? Here are 9 facts about your skin to help you learn more:

Skin Fact #1: Your skin is your largest organ.

When most people think of organs, they think of the squishy masses that make up their insides. As it turns out, skin is an organ, too. It acts as a barrier between the rest of your organs and the outside world. That’s a pretty important job!

Skin Fact #2: Skin cells renew every month.

All of your skin cells regenerate every month. In fact, you shed 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells every single day. This is also why you should give your new skincare routine or diet a few weeks before you look for a noticeable difference in your skin.

Skin Fact #3: Your skin helps regulate your body temperature.

The epidermis is the top layer of your skin. Underneath the epidermis is the dermis. The dermis helps regulate your body temperature by expanding or contracting the red blood cells inside it. The subcutaneous layer, which is under the dermis, acts as insulation.

Skin Fact #4: Men’s skin is thicker than women’s skin.

Emotionally, which gender has the thicker skin is stull up for debate. Physically, men and women have differences in their skin. The dermis in men’s skin is 20% thicker than it is in women’s.

Skin Fact #5: Your skin is crawling with bacteria.

Don’t worry, this is not a cause for panic. Most of the bacteria on your skin is normal. Healthy skin houses a myriad of different colonies of bacteria. There’s so much life there that scientists refer to the skin as its own microbiome.

Skin Fact #6: On average, your skin makes up 16% of your body weight.

Have you ever wondered how much your skin weighs? Now you can find out. Multiply your body weight by 16% and you have an estimate of what your skin weighs – without the rest of you in it, of course.

Skin Fact #7: There are 11 miles of blood vessels in your skin.

That’s a lot of blood vessels. In some people, they are more visible than in others. This can cause redness, but you can treat it with ingredients that fight inflammation.

Skin Fact #8: Skin thickness varies from 0.5 millimeters to 4 millimeters.

Skin is pretty thin, but its thickness varies greatly. The skin on the bottom of your feet can be 4 millimeters thick, while the skin on your eyelids is around 0.5 millimeters.

Skin Fact #9: One in five Americans will develop skin cancer.

This is a sad but true fact. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in America. Reduce this statistic by doing what you can to care for your skin and prevent skin cancer.

Caring for Your Skin

Knowing these 9 facts about your skin is great, but now you need to properly care for it. Caring for your skin helps you prevent skin cancer, look younger, and feel better about your appearance. Start with these five tips:

Stop Smoking

Smoking is bad for all your organs, but it really shows on your skin. If you don’t already smoke, don’t start. If you do, think about quitting.

Protect Yourself from the Sun’s Rays

UV rays significantly damage your skin. Use sunscreen every day and remember to reapply every two hours when you stay in the sun for long amounts of time.

Cleanse Your Skin Thoroughly

Get rid of the dirt and oil that build up on your skin every day. Find a soap or cleanser that works for you and use it regularly.

Limit Your Bath and Shower Time

Long, hot baths and showers feel great and are so relaxing. Just be sure it’s not excessive. Exposure to hot water for long periods of time can dry out your skin.

Take Care of Your General Health

Your diet and your stress levels show on your skin. Eat a healthy diet and manage your stress to maintain the health of your skin.

Learn more about improving your body by reading up on health and wellness.