By Lawrence Augustine K. Mingoa
How much do we know about our skin? Sure, it's what covers our body and gives us our looks, but is it all what it is for? Certainly not! Here are some things about our skin.
What is the skin? The skin is an organ whose general function is to protect the body from infections, injuries, and harmful rays, as well as to regulate the body's temperature. It has a lot of other specific functions too which are performed by its glands.
First off. The skin is made up of three main layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous (or fatty) layer (which is called the hypodermis, probably because its a dermis with only very few parts).
So what is the epidermis? The epidermis is our "first line of defense against disease," as it is called, because its main function is to protect us from germs. This layer also protects us from injuries (well...to a limited extent, of course). How? Well, the cells of this layer are filled with keratin, a tough protein which can take some damage before wearing out. This layer is made up of dead cells. These dead cells are being rubbed off everyday as we do our everyday activities. These cells are always replaced by other cells rising from under. These cells, in turn, come from the strætum basale (pronounced stray•tüm bay•say•lï), the deepest layer of the epidermis (by the way, the epidermis has four layers). This layer also houses the melanocytes. These are cells that give us our skin color and protect us from the sun's rays (with the help of the melanin which they produce).
The dermis is the next layer. It is made up of collagen, another protein which this layer uses in healing the injuries your skin gets, like cuts and abrasions. This is where the nerves are (the cells that are responsible for a lot of what you feel, like heat, and cold, and pain,...). This could possibly act as a "secondary shock absorber" next to the hypodermis, due to the fact that this layer is the thickest layer of the skin.
Now the hypodermis. This layer is mostly fat and blood vessels. It functions both as a shock absorber and fuel storage.
Diseases
Like all organs, the skin has a host of diseases that it can be infected with.
Acne is a skin disease that is usually caused by a mixture of oil and dead skin cells blocking the hair follicles. This blockage would eventually turn into bumps which are caused by bacteria being trapped in the follicles. It could eventually turn into pimples (or worse). For extreme cases, dermatologists (physicians who are experts on the skin) increasingly find that, prescription drugs that lessen the amount of oil seem to be the best solution. Here's a site that can tell you more.
Premature aging is a sickness caused by too much UV, or ultraviolet, rays. UV rays damage our skin, wear them out, causing them to wrinkle and age. You have to keep yourself from being overexposed from the sun. Try using sun blocks (which deflects UV rays) and sunscreens (which absorbs them). Just remember to buy the sunscreens with SPF 25 or higher, as lower types may not be able to fully protect you.
Athlete's foot is a disease caused by fungus growing at your feet. Its symptoms may vary among people. Some may have these symptoms: The skin between their toes (especially the last two) start peeling, cracking, and scaling. Others may have their sole and the skin running alongside the feet turning red, starting to scale, and having blisters. There are some who would have toenail infections. These infections would have your toenails "scaling, crumbling and thickening." You might even lose your nails. They might all have itchy feet as well. You should have a check-up with a dermatologist, though, because not all rashes of the feet are athlete's foot. Don't use OTC (over-the-counter) drugs on a rash that isn't athlete's foot, as it may make the condition worse. You could have more skin blisters and cracks that's yuckier than the one you had before.
In treating athlete's foot, simple cases would have anti-fungal
creams for prescription, while for the more severe ones, foot soaks
may be prescribed by your dermatologist before applying an
anti-fungal cream. For stubborn athlete's foot: The prescription?
possibly antifungal pills. Unfortunately for those with toenail
infections, these are hard to treat. There are ongoing researches,
though, on finding "effective ways to treat toenail fungal infections."
You must continue using your prescribed antifungal creams and take
all medications given because even if the symptoms disappear,
there might still be an infection which can recur.
Boils is basically "an infection of the hair follicles" by germs. How does a boil form? When a person carrying the germ that causes boils (Staphylococcus aurem) gets to have his/her skin rub on something, the germ is pushed into a hair follicle's wall. Once the germ gets in, it produces a boil that usually lasts for 10 days. To prevent a lot of boils from occurring, there may be a need for a "skin cleansing regime," as because the bacteria cannot be reached by antibiotics, as they are under the skin.
Chicken pox is a contagious viral disease which is easily spread when 1)people are close together, and 2)their immune system can't protect that well (weakened by taking care of it?). Before rashes appear, an infected person would have a fever and an upset stomach. Then the rashes appear (which would look like "water blisters"). The "blisters" would turn into "scabby crusts" after several days.
There is no treatment for chicken pox. But there is no need, as it will eventually go away, and for most people it would only afflict them once in a lifetime. It is because a person with chicken pox will build up enough resistance to the disease so they won't be afflicted by it anymore.
While you are sick though, you must be careful about a few things. 1)Eat well, 2)Avoid too much sugar, and 3)Don't scratch the itchy areas.
Hives are simply the reaction to allergen (the ones that cause allergies). There are three types: 1)Type I, 2)Chronic, and 3)Acute.
The symptoms of hives "are itchy, elevated, red blotches of varying size that appear suddenly and disappear mysteriously after hours to days. Hives may be associated with dramatic swelling reactions; swelling of the lips, eyes, and ears can suddenly and grotesquely alter the appearance of an allergy victim. Marked swelling especially of facial tissues is referred to as angioedema and is often associated with urticaria."
To treat hives, one must know what he/she is allergic to and then keep it from his/her diet. This is more difficult for those suffering from chronic uticaria, as the effects are delayed.
Impetigo is a bacterial infection of the skin. These germs are either of the streptococcus or of the staphylococcus type. It is more commonly seen during summer because this is when people get "cut, scrapes, or insect bites" more often. The "bites or cuts get infected" and the resulting sore would spread by scratching it and afterwards scratching other parts of the skin. The new sores could begin "as blisters which rupture early" and then "slowly form crusted lesions which sometimes drain pus."
In treating impetigo, you may simply apply an antibiotic ointment on the sores for about one week. This would work on many cases. Just remember to wash the sores with soap and water first. Also remember to apply it 3-4 times a day. For worse cases, oral antibiotics could sometimes be needed. The skin would be healed in 10 days, but you may notice discoloration which could stay for 6-12 months. To prevent the spread of infection, short fingernails and clean hands are needed.
Ringworms are infections that "affect the
skin, hair, toenails, and fingernails." It is a fungal
infection whose name was taken from the ring-like lesions
made by the fungus. The infection starts as a "red,
scaly, and itchy" sore which grows to about 1" in diameter.
Afterwards the lesions would usually spread outward while
the center heals, creating the "ring."
There are 3 types of ringworms:
1)of the scalp, 2)of the crotch, and 3)of the foot.
Ringworm of the scalp is commonly seen in kids under 10 years old. Here ringworms cause "round, scaly patches that cause skin to itch and flake and the hairs to fall out." Hairbrushes and combs must not be shared with one another, as the hair that falls off is infected.
Ringworm of the crotch is usually had by males, especially athletes. Also called a jock itch, it is described as "a red, itchy, inflamed patch" found in the crotch area that "extends down the thigh for about two or three inches."
Ringworm of the feet is actually athlete's foot.
Skin Cancer is of two types, one is the basal/squamous, and the other is malignant melanoma. Basal or squamous cancer is not as serious as malignant melanomia, as they occur in the basal, or squamous, cells while malignant melanomia occurs in the melanocytes.
Melanoma is usually seen in adults, though they can
also be found in adolescents. It can spread quickly throughout
the body through the lymph system or through the blood. It is
more dangerous than the basal/squamous cancer because not only
does it cause disfigurement, but may also cause death.
You should be careful when you see the following signs:
As in most types of cancer, skin cancer is best treated when detected early. Contact your doctor immediately if you have any of the above symptoms.
Warts of the viral type are caused by the human wart virus. This is common in school children. It affects injured areas.
A viral wart can be seen as a skin-coloured growth that has a "rough and irregular surface."
"Small and superficial warts" can be removed using a lotion that contain salicylic acid and lactic acid. As for most warts, "relatively safe" procedures (sort of surgery) may be necessary.
There are more diseases that your skin could catch if you don't take care of it.
A penny for my thoughts err... Tips(I mean)
What do we do to take care of this important organ of ours? Here are some tips: