By: Zackery, Natasha
My skin is a very large organ. It covers every inch of my body. When I am an adult, I will have about seven pounds of skin!
My skin is thick and strong. Most of the time my skin keeps my body from getting hurt. It also helps keep my body temperature constant. If I damage my skin, new skin will take its place. It is always growing.
If I look closely at my skin, I can see things. I can see hairs and tiny holes. These are called pores. My pores let water from inside my body come out. This is called perspiration.
I have many nerve endings in my skin. These nerve endings send messages to by brain. I feel heat and cold.
Skin is made up of two layers that cover a third fatty layer. The outer layer is called the epidermis; it is a tough protective layer that contains melanin (which protects against the rays of the sun and gives the skin its color).
The second layer (located under the epidermis) is called the dermis; it contains nerve endings, sweat glands, oil glands, and hair follicles. Under these two skin layers is a fatty layer of subcutaneous tissue (the word subcutaneous means "under the skin").
