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human skin
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Learn how regenerative properties of the skin helps to protect the human body from the external environment
What causes our skin to wrinkle as we age?
skin
Examine how a subcutaneous fat layer supplies nutrients to dense connective tissue and epithelial cells
How do scabs form?
The science behind human hair growth
How do moisturizers keep skin hydrated?
Study how eccrine glands in the dermis secrete sweat through pores in the skin's surface
A section through the skin. The tough, dead cells of the outer epidermal surface (corneal layer) serve as a physical barrier and are continually replaced by cells produced in the basal layer. The thick supportive layer of dermis contains nerve endings, blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, and oil glands. The hair follicle encloses the root of the hair. Oil glands associated with hair follicles secrete an oily substance (sebum) which lubricates the skin surface. The watery secretions of the tubular sweat glands are released onto the skin's surface through small pores. A layer of fat cells lies below the dermis.
For Students
skin summary
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human skin

anatomy
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Written by
William Montagna
Professor of Dermatology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland. Author of The Structure and Function of Skin.
William Montagna,
F. John G. Ebling
Professor of Zoology, 1968–82; Independent Research Worker in Dermatology, University of Sheffield, England. Coeditor of and contributor to Textbook of Dermatology.
F. John G. Ebling•All
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Last Updated: • Article History

human skin, in human anatomy, the covering, or integument, of the body’s surface that both provides protection and receives sensory stimuli from the external environment. The skin consists of three layers of tissue: the epidermis, an outermost layer that contains the primary protective structure, the stratum corneum; the dermis, a fibrous layer that supports and strengthens the epidermis; and the subcutis, a subcutaneous layer of fat beneath the dermis that supplies nutrients to the other two layers and that cushions and insulates the body. The apparent lack of body hair immediately distinguishes human beings from all other large land mammals. ...(100 of 6839 words)

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