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skin
(skin)
the outer covering of the body. The skin is the largest organ of the body and performs a number of vital functions: it serves
as a protective barrier against microorganisms; it helps shield the delicate, sensitive tissues beneath it from mechanical
and other injuries; it acts as an insulator against heat and cold; it helps eliminate body wastes in the form of sweat; it guards against excessive exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun by producing protective pigmentation; and it helps produce the body's supply of vitamin D. The sensory receptors in the skin enable the body to feel pain, cold, heat, light touch, and pressure. The skin consists of two main parts: an outer layer called the epidermis and an inner layer called the dermis.
Diagram of a cross-section of the skin.
farmers' skin
actinic elastosis.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
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