Have you ever questioned what the largest organ in your body is? Is it your heart? Considering that your heart has to pump blood throughout your entire body, it must be quite large and strong.
What about your lungs? They must be fairly large to hold all the air you need to breathe every day. Or maybe your brain? Without a large brain, humans wouldn’t possess such intelligence.
Although your heart, lungs, and brain are all vital organs, they are not the largest in your body. In fact, you can see your body’s largest organ right now. What are we referring to? Your skin, of course!
While we usually think of organs as important internal parts of our bodies, your skin is actually an organ that covers the entire exterior. And it’s huge! If you were to stretch out all the skin on a 150-pound adult, it would cover more than two square yards and weigh approximately nine pounds!
Do you really need all that skin? Absolutely! Your skin serves many essential functions. For instance, its primary role is protection. Your skin covers and shields everything inside your body, including muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs.
Without your skin, it would be chaos. Imagining yourself without skin is not a pleasant thought. Muscles and organs would be moving, protruding, and falling all over the place. Disgusting! But thanks to your skin, everything remains inside where it should be.
Your skin not only protects you but also keeps everything in place. The thinnest skin on your body forms your eyelids, yet these tiny patches do an incredible job of safeguarding your eyes. The thickest skin on your body is found on the soles of your feet. Your foot muscles would likely be very sore if your skin didn’t protect them when you run barefoot in the summer!
In addition, your skin helps regulate your body temperature. If you go outside in hot or cold weather, your body temperature may rise or fall from the normal 98.6ยบ F. In such cases, a part of your brain called the hypothalamus sends signals to your skin to help maintain your body’s temperature.
When you get too hot, your skin assists in cooling you down. Blood vessels in the skin transport more warm blood to the skin’s surface, enabling the release of heat. Sweat glands in the skin produce sweat, which cools the body when it evaporates. Similarly, the skin can cause your blood vessels to narrow, moving warm blood away from the skin to keep you warm when you get too cold.
Lastly, your skin allows you to experience the sense of touch. Can you imagine life without the ability to touch things or feel the warmth of the sun on your skin? While your eyes enable you to see and your nose enables you to smell, it is your skin that allows you to feel. So, the next time you run your fingers through your favorite pet’s soft and luxurious fur, thank your skin for giving you the ability to experience something so amazing!
Give it a Try
We trust that you enjoyed acquiring knowledge about your skin today! Request the assistance of a friend or family member to expand your knowledge further by exploring the following activities:
- As you discovered in today’s Wonder of the Day, your skin is indispensable. But what’s happening beneath the surface? Go online and watch this fascinating movie about Skin specially made for kids! Afterwards, discuss what you’ve learned with a friend or family member.
- Taking care of your skin is crucial. You’ve probably been reminded countless times to wash your hands. You likely also receive regular prompts to cleanse the rest of your body in the shower or bath. In fact, skincare is a thriving industry. However, don’t just take our word for it. See it for yourself! Ask an adult friend or family member to take you on a short field trip to a local store. Explore the skincare aisle and see how many products you can find that are dedicated to cleansing (soap, body wash, etc.) and maintaining (moisturizer, etc.) your skin. Are you surprised by what you discover? If you’re up for it, select a couple of products to add to your skincare collection at home!
- Ready for a challenge? Delve deep into the layers of the skin to learn the names of its various components. Afterward, summarize what you’ve learned for a friend or family member. Make sure to share at least three intriguing new facts.
References
- http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/body_basics/skin_hair_nails.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle (accessed on Nov 16, 2020)
- http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/skin.html (accessed on Nov 16, 2020)
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