Care for The Skin, HAir And Nails - How to save from infection

THE SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS 

THE SKIN is the body's largest organ, having an area in an average 150- pound person of 17 to 20 square feet and weighing about 6 pounds, twice as much as either liver or brain. It extends into the nose and other body cavities in the form of thin mucous membrane which secretes lubricating fluids. The skin is an enormously versatile and protective organ. It serves to keep body fluids in and foreign agents out, to shield against harmful rays, to help regulate body temperature.

It forms the body's shape, contains the sense of touch, is a main organ of sexual attraction. The skin even reflects much about the state of health of the body, as you may have noticed in sick people, and also about the state of mind, as is evident when someone blushes with embarrassment or pales with fear. And although beauty is a composite of many things, physical and mental, there is no doubt that an attractive, healthy skin contributes greatly to beauty.

The more knowledge you have about the skin, the better able will you prevent disturbances to it and maintain its integrity, beauty, and positive values. although it appears to be just a simple covering, a single square inch may contain some 70 feet of nerves, 650 sweat glands, blood vessels, 65 to 75 hairs and associated muscles, and hundreds of nerve endings for detecting pressure, pain, heat,   layers of tissue form the skin: epidermis, dermis, and sub- The Skin, Hair, and Nails cutaneous layer. The epidermis is the outer layer, and because living cells cannot survive exposure to air, the outermost portion of the epidermis, the visible surface, is actually made up of dead rather than living cells.

Microscopic layers of cells from the outer epidermis are constantly being lost through bathing and rubbing against clothing. They are re- placed from underneath by new cells formed in the malpighian layer of the epidermis. Here, in this deeper layer, where new cells are formed, the skin may be colored by a pigment called melanin, which has as its purpose the prevention of tissue damage from the more dangerous rays of the sun. Skin color is also influenced by another pigment which is yellow and by the presence of blood vessels in the dermal layer. Beneath the epidermis is the dermis, sometimes called the "true skin." At the top of the dermis is a layer of tiny, rounded ridges called papillae, which project outward, perhaps 150 million of them throughout the body.