The biology of the skin

The skin is your body’s largest organ, and covers about 1.8 square meters for an average adult human. This organ mainly consists of three components; epidermis (the outer non-sensitive and nonvascular layer), dermis (the sensitive vascular inner mesodermic layer) and subcutis (the deeper part of the dermis).

The skin serves as a protective shield for the body’s internal organs. It protects the rest of the body against bacteria, bumps/blows, virus, cold/heat, ultraviolet (UV) rays and chemicals. The skin further has a varieties of functions related to the body’s sensory perception such as relates to communication with other human beings.

Researchers propose that up to 80% of the skin’s aging is due to external stress factors, and UV radiation in particular, whereas only 20% is caused by natural biological aging. When UV rays strike the skin, there occur a variety of destructive reactions in the skin’s deeper layers, which has consequences for the visible outer layer of skin. For example, when the elastic fibers are affected by external stress factors, the formation of wrinkles will also begin.

The underlying cause of these destructive processes is referred to as free radicals.