Our skin isn't just a shell for the body – it's a living organ that performs lots of vital functions.
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00:00 We have a lot to thank our skin for.
00:03 It protects us from UV rays, cools our bodies in the heat and keeps us warm in the cold.
00:10 It forms a barrier against intruders like viruses and bacteria.
00:16 And unlike this rubber duck, it can regenerate itself if it gets damaged.
00:21 It's because our skin is not just a shell, but a living organ.
00:29 Some cells constantly produce new skin cells, while old ones die and shed away.
00:34 The top layer of skin, called the epidermis, renews itself completely about once a month.
00:40 The skin has a complicated relationship with the sun.
00:44 On the one hand, it's dependent on the sun's help, for example in the production of vitamin D3.
00:50 On the other hand, sun rays, especially in the ultraviolet spectrum,
00:56 can lead to inflammation of the skin cells and damage their genetic material.
01:00 Mutations of stem cells in the lower layer of the epidermis are a common cause of skin cancer.
01:07 Special cells called melanocytes offer protection against this.
01:16 They produce melanins, pigments that absorb and scatter UV rays and thereby protect the cells.
01:23 The dark eumelanin pigment is particularly effective.
01:26 The more of it the skin produces, the darker it looks.
01:29 Beneath the epidermis is the dermis.
01:32 This is where you find the nerve endings that register and transmit touch or pain.
01:37 Blood and lymph vessels that supply skin cells with nutrients and bring in immune cells to fight invaders.
01:45 Hair follicles that constantly produce new hair.
01:51 Sebaceous glands whose oily secretion forms a protective film and keeps the skin supple.
01:56 And sweat glands.
01:58 Some of them secrete smells, but above all they cool the body by producing sweat that evaporates from the surface of the skin.
02:07 The fatty tissue beneath the dermis, on the other hand, keeps us warm.
02:13 And energy is stored here in the fat cells, sometimes more than we'd like.
02:20 The skin is our largest and heaviest organ, and yet it's surprisingly elastic.
02:25 After all, the body it surrounds is constantly changing.
02:29 [Music]