What Is The Scientific Name For Skin? (SKINCARE Q&A)

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Have you ever wondered if there’s something you don’t know about your own skin?

Have you ever stopped to think about your skin and what it means from a scientific standpoint?

What is the scientific name for skin, and is it something you’ve ever heard of before?

If you ever catch yourself sitting around and wondering about your skin, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll explain skin from a scientific point of view on terms that are easy to understand, even if you’re not well-versed in science yourself.

You’ll learn what to call your skin when you’re referring to it scientifically, and you’ll also find out several interesting facts that you may or may not have already known about your skin, too.

There’s a lot to learn and uncover about this important part of your body!

What is the scientific name for skin?

The scientific name for skin is actually broken down into two parts, although it is also commonly referred to simply as skin, even in scientific papers. However, when you’re talking to your doctor or dermatologist, you may hear him or her refer to your skin by one of the two following terms:

Epidermis: This is the outer layer of your skin. This is the part of the skin that gets rid of dead skin cells, and it’s the first layer to become damaged if you’re cut or otherwise injured.
Dermis: This is the deeper layer of your skin where many skin conditions form. In this layer, collagen and elastin are produced, and many skin problems like scarring and pigmentation issues may go this deep, too.

7 scientific facts about the skin

Understanding some of the more interesting scientific facts about skin can go a long way toward helping you improve your relationship with your own skin. Although you may have already known some of these from before, you’re sure to find some new information listed here that you have never heard about. Skin is a fascinating part of your body, and the scientific understanding of your skin is almost always changing and growing. Check out the following facts to expand your horizons a little and maybe show off to your friends the next time you have a chance, too.

Your skin has four means of responding to pressure. They are called Meissner’s corpuscles, Ruffini endings, Merkel’s discs, and Pacinian corpuscles. They each react to a different type of pressure, touch, or other tactile sensation, including light touches, vibration, deep pressure, stretching, and textures, to name a few. They work with the nerve endings in your skin to help determine whether or not you’re in pain and send signals to your brain about what you’re feeling at any given time.
Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Most people know this one, but it’s still a pretty interesting little tidbit!
Your skin is always regenerating. Unlike any other part of your body, your skin is constantly in a state of regrowth and regeneration. As soon as you have an injury on your skin, even if it’s as superficial as a paper cut, it gets to work regrowing healthy, new skin to replace the damaged area.
Your skin is colored by melanin. This is the pigmentation responsible for determining the color of skin in each individual human. Some people have hyperpigmentation issues that lead to patches of discoloration that don’t match the rest of their skin. This is most common the face, but it can happen anywhere on the body.
Your skin is always covered in bacteria. That may sound gross, but it’s actually very good for you. The bacteria on your skin is healthy and is there to help fight off bad bacteria and other types of infections that could be trying to attack your body at any given time.
When something is going on with your skin, this is usually a sign of an underlying problem. Although it’s entirely possible to have a simple skin condition without anything else bad going on, sudden changes in your skin can mean anything from a vitamin deficiency to a serious illness. These types of changes should always be discussed with your health care provider if you aren’t sure what’s causing them, or if they are very sudden and unexpected.
Your skin takes care of your body temperature. Of course, when you get too hot, your skin sweats and helps cool you down. And when you get too cold, your skin does what it can to prevent your blood vessels and the rest of your body from suffering from damage, too.

3 fun facts about the skin

Scientific facts are all well and good, but what about the fun and unique facts out there about your skin? Here some you may not have heard of before:

Your skin is responsible for about 15% of your body weight. This is a pretty big portion of your overall weight!
You have about 300 million skin cells in your body at any given time. They’re constantly changing and regenerating, and they’re so tiny you can only see them through a microscope, but they’re there.
Scar tissue doesn’t have any sweat glands or hair follicles. When your skin is damaged badly, it heals with scar tissue, which is almost like a different type of skin. Areas where you have severe scarring like this cannot sweat and will never grow hair, even if they’re on a part of your body that normally would.

Conclusion

So what do you think? Were you able to learn something new about your skin? It’s sometimes challenging to uncover new pieces of information about your body, and you may often feel as though you’ve learned everything you can already about how it works and functions. But you never know! There may be something exciting, interesting, and new that you have never heard of before just waiting for you to find out about it. The human body is fascinating, and skin is even more interesting!

It’s always important to know a little bit about what you’re talking about when referring to your skin, especially when you’re planning to see a dermatologist. Your skin care specialist may use some of these scientific words or terms to help you understand the types of treatments available to you, but if you’re not well-versed in them, you may end up more than a little confused. Keep in mind the information listed above the next time you’re planning to talk to a professional about what to expect from your skin care routine, treatment options, and more. You’ll be glad you learned!

BONUS VIDEO...

https://youtu.be/aMGgCxUyXT8

Additional Research:
https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7901
https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/10-amazing-facts-about-skin/
https://forefrontdermatology.com/skin-fun-facts/