The skin
Take a look at Figure 4.38 which shows the structure of the human skin. The skin is an organ that is organized into three parts – a thin outer covering called the epidermis, a thicker underlying layer called the dermis which is mostly made of connective tissue, and the hypodermis which contains adipose (fatty) tissue.
The Epidermis
The epidermis carries out two seemingly opposing tasks. It must prevent the entry of bacteria as well as the loss of water by evaporation from the underlying tissue. At the same time, it must continually renew itself since the dead cells in this layer are constantly being rubbed off.
If you look carefully at the electron micrograph of the human skin in Figure 4.39, you would notice that the epidermis is organized into three layers. The layer of cells between the epidermis and the dermis, the Malpighian layer, is constantly dividing and replacing dead cells. It also contains the pigment called melanin which gives skin its characteristic colour and shields underlying cells against UV radiation.
As new cells are produced, the cells above them are pushed towards the surface. This is the granular layer. As the cells get further from the blood vessels in the dermis, they become progressively flatter and eventually cease dividing. At the same time, they are synthesizing keratin, a flexible water-resistant protein that also makrs up hair and fingernails.