Most of us have some birthmarks or the other anywhere on the surface of our body. Let's see what they are? We have blood vessels distributed throughout our body. At some spots very small blood vessels called capillaries seem to cluster together, a…
Continue ReadingYes they do. The most obvious use is, of course, to identify criminals. But that is a very recent development. Fingerprints have been used for identification purpose only since 1901. Even otherwise, fingerprints do serve a purpose in the lives, e…
Continue ReadingAbout half a liter of water is lost through the skin every day. We do not become aware of this and this is called insensible perspiration. This sweating does not originate in the sweat glands, but results from diffusion through the skin layers. …
Continue ReadingThe reason we sweat is to control our body heat. When the body gets overheated, the skin produces sweat. It evaporates using up the heat of the body, thus bringing the body heat down. Sweating is caused by millions of minute glands that are scattere…
Continue ReadingThe skin is composed of two layers. The upper layer is the epidermis. This layer is made of dead, flattened cells, which are continually wearing off as we move around. The bottom of the epidermis is made of live cells that die and replace those that we…
Continue ReadingTickling is something that is not properly understood by scientists. Some of them say that tickling excites certain small, fine nerve endings just beneath the surface of the skin. Especially on the palms and soles. These nerve cells are arranged in cluster…
Continue ReadingSkin gets its colour from melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells which produce the brown colour, melanin. These cells are produced in the lower level of the epidermis. Everybody has the same number of melanin cells. What causes a difference in skin colour is t…
Continue ReadingYou may not believe it, but the largest organ in our body is the skin. The total weight of an adult's skin is about 3 kilograms. The average adult human body covered with about 1.7 square meters of skin. Skin, and the hair that grows on it, covers …
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