The other day I visited, for the first time, a dermatologist. I have on my skin a small collection of questionable areas that needed examination. Nothing serious, but potentially cancerous. He prescribed a chemotherapy-like cream for that crusty spot on my scalp caused by too much sun exposure. Those barely perceptible blotches on my right forearm were most likely caused by the use of epoxy resins during my canoe-building days. The doctor used a scalpel with a short blade and green handle to slice off the actinic keretosis which had been on my left forearm for a year. He sent that off to the lab for questioning. I’ll know the results of the investigation in a couple of weeks.
The skin is an organ of the integumentary system, which also includes hair, nails, and sweat and glands. Most people don’t think of skin as being an organ – not like the the stomach, liver, and kidneys – but it is. Like many of our our organs, it’s one we can’t live without and has many important functions. The skin, among other things:
Maintains body temperature
Guards against water loss
Detects changes in environment
Begins vitamin D synthesis
Excretes water, salt, and some wastes
Protects against the elements, pathogens, and other harmful substances
Participates in the immune system
Is the boundary between me and not-me*
The skin is made of two layers. The deepest and thicket layer is the dermis. Within the dermis are blood and lymph capillaries, nerve endings, hair follicles, and oil and sweat glands. All these are held within a matrix of connective tissue, which is in part composed of elastic fibers.
Above the dermis is the epidermis. The epidermis is much thinner than the dermis and consists of four layers (the palms and soles of the feet have five layers). The deepest layer of the epidermis is a single layer of squamous cells called keratinocytes. This layer also contains melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation. As the keratinocytes reproduce, older cells are pushed outward, dying slowly as they move closer to the surface. As they move outward, they flatten and fill with the protein keratin. They also secret a waterproof lipid (fat). The outermost layer of the epidermis is the corneum, which contains about 30 layers of dead, fully keratinized cells. These cells are constantly sloughed off. Dead skin cells are are the primary source of food of the house dust mite. Estimates indicate the average body sheds 40 pounds of epidermis during a lifetime at a replacement rate one new layer each month. That’s a lot of dust-mite chow.
It seems reasonable to think that with a new layer of skin each month one’s skin would forever look new and fresh. Not so, because aging takes its toll, as does exposure to sun and wind and myriad contaminates and chemicals. Maybe someday this aging process will be reversed by even greater strides in technology, but not today. As the body ages, blood flow to the dermis decreases, the dermis and epidermis get thinner and become more and more fragile. The skin’s ability to heal itself diminishes.Even small wounds take longer to heal and so are more susceptible to infection. The skin also loses its elasticity with age. It sags and bags under its own weight.
Various skin cancers notwithstanding, there are hundreds and hundreds of things that can go wrong with the skin from acne to zygomycosis. My own skin problems – which are relatively mediocre – are nothing unusual for skin of my age. It has begun to wrinkle and sag. It gets blotchier by the day. The skin on my neck looks like that of a plucked chicken. I can expect more actinic keratoses as the years go by. The breakdown of my skin is part of the process that began at birth, nearly 58 years ago.
As an object of meditation, that’s a lot to contemplate.
*This is moot because the discussion of auras, energy fields, and odor and other molecules and waste products that emit from the body, etc. is not to the point.
Part 5: Skin
Note: For background on this series, please read the Introduction to the 32-Parts Project.
The other day I visited, for the first time, a dermatologist. I have on my skin a small collection of questionable areas that needed examination. Nothing serious, but potentially cancerous. He prescribed a chemotherapy-like cream for that crusty spot on my scalp caused by too much sun exposure. Those barely perceptible blotches on my right forearm were most likely caused by the use of epoxy resins during my canoe-building days. The doctor used a scalpel with a short blade and green handle to slice off the actinic keretosis which had been on my left forearm for a year. He sent that off to the lab for questioning. I’ll know the results of the investigation in a couple of weeks.
The skin is an organ of the integumentary system, which also includes hair, nails, and sweat and glands. Most people don’t think of skin as being an organ – not like the the stomach, liver, and kidneys – but it is. Like many of our our organs, it’s one we can’t live without and has many important functions. The skin, among other things:
The skin is made of two layers. The deepest and thicket layer is the dermis. Within the dermis are blood and lymph capillaries, nerve endings, hair follicles, and oil and sweat glands. All these are held within a matrix of connective tissue, which is in part composed of elastic fibers.
Above the dermis is the epidermis. The epidermis is much thinner than the dermis and consists of four layers (the palms and soles of the feet have five layers). The deepest layer of the epidermis is a single layer of squamous cells called keratinocytes. This layer also contains melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation. As the keratinocytes reproduce, older cells are pushed outward, dying slowly as they move closer to the surface. As they move outward, they flatten and fill with the protein keratin. They also secret a waterproof lipid (fat). The outermost layer of the epidermis is the corneum, which contains about 30 layers of dead, fully keratinized cells. These cells are constantly sloughed off. Dead skin cells are are the primary source of food of the house dust mite. Estimates indicate the average body sheds 40 pounds of epidermis during a lifetime at a replacement rate one new layer each month. That’s a lot of dust-mite chow.
Various skin cancers notwithstanding, there are hundreds and hundreds of things that can go wrong with the skin from acne to zygomycosis. My own skin problems – which are relatively mediocre – are nothing unusual for skin of my age. It has begun to wrinkle and sag. It gets blotchier by the day. The skin on my neck looks like that of a plucked chicken. I can expect more actinic keratoses as the years go by. The breakdown of my skin is part of the process that began at birth, nearly 58 years ago.
As an object of meditation, that’s a lot to contemplate.
*This is moot because the discussion of auras, energy fields, and odor and other molecules and waste products that emit from the body, etc. is not to the point.
Note: For background on this series, please read the Introduction to the 32-Parts Project.