Skin Care Decoded!

Our skin is made up of a few layers and the outer most layer of skin is the epidermis which made up of epithelial cells and do not contain any blood sells. The epidermis’s main function is to protect and absorb nutrients. It is by far human body’s first defense system by acting as a major barrier in the most hostile environment. The thinnest layer of an epidermis lies on the eyelids whereas the thickest area lies on the palms and soles. The variation in skin color is determined by the amount and distribution of melanin pigment in the epidermis. Melanin is a class of compound that is produced by melanocytes which is found usually in small melanosomes particles where they are transferred to the keratinocytes. The size, number and arrangemenet of melasomes varies in racial groups. If a person is found to have little or melanin in their body, this condition can known as albinism.

While the melanin pigment can vary between racial groups, the number of melanocytes can also vary between different body parts. However, their numbers will remain the same in individual body regions in all humans. For example, the white and oriental skin melansomes are packed in aggregates whereas in the black skin, they are more larger and evenly distributed. The number of melasomes increases with UV radiation exposure even when the distribution remains unaffected

Photo from wikipedia