• How Much Do You Know About the Skin You’re In?

    Take our quiz to learn more about this vital organ. 
  • 1. The skin is considered to be the human body’s largest organ.

  • Answer: True. The skin has a total area of about 20 square feet.

  • 2. The darker a person’s skin, the higher its melanin content.

  • Answer: True. Melanin is a pigment produced by cells in the epidermal layer. The pigment is what gives darker skin its color.

  • 3. The skin is made up of how many layers?

  • Answer: Three. The skin is made up of three primary layers: a thin outer layer (epidermis), a thicker middle layer (dermis) and the inner layer (hypodermis).

     

  • 4. What is the most common skin condition in the United States?

  • Answer: Acne. Acne is the most common skin condition and affects up to 50 million people in the United States each year.

  • 5. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States.

  • Answer: True. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70.

  • 6. Human skin shares the most similarities to which other mammal?

  • Answer: Pig. Pig skin shares many similar properties with human skin, including similar hair follicles and blood vessel patterns.

  • 7. Smoking can age your skin.

  • Answer: True. Smoking cigarettes causes damage to the collagen and elastin in the skin, which can cause premature aging.

  • 8. Where on your body is your skin the thinnest?

  • Answer: Eyelids. The skin on your eyelids and the area surrounding your eyes is the thinnest. The skin on the soles of your feet is the thickest.

  • 9. The skin acts as your body’s thermostat.

  • Answer: True. One of the functions of the skin is to regulate body temperature. It does this by activating the sweat glands to cool the body down when the temperature rises and constricting the blood vessels when temperatures drop to prevent heat loss.

  • 10. Human skin does not shed.

  • Answer: False. The skin sheds around 50,000 cells every minute. Your body produces a new outer layer of the skin approximately every 30 days.

  • For more on skin health, click here. 

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