Assignment #1 - My Favorite Tissue: Skin - Introduction

This blog will focus on the function, structure, and pathology of the skin, the largest single organ in the mammalian body. The skin is composed of layers of epidermis and dermis, which are derived from different origins and divided into sublayers. Many cell types make up these layers, from the complex epithelium closest to the external environment, to the connective tissue that separates the skin from the underlying muscles and organs. The skin has a number of functions, the most obvious of which is a barrier providing protection; however, the skin is also involved in heat regulation and sensation, and plays numerous other roles essential to the maintenance of the body's homeostasis. Skin pathologies will affect nearly everyone at some point in their lifetime, and in fact, one-third of all tumors in adults are of the skin [1].