Skin Essay (Essay Sample)

Burns
The skin constitutes the biggest organ in the human body. It makes up approximately 1.6 square meters of body surface area. Structurally, it consists of the epidermis and dermis.
The epidermis is the most superficial layer of the skin. It is composed of a basal lamina that holds a stratified squamous epithelium in place. Histologically, there are five distinct layers of the epidermis. Starting from the uppermost sub-layer, they are stratum corneum, stratum lucidum, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, and stratum germinativum. The epidermis does not contain blood vessels.
The dermis is beneath the epidermis and is the thickest layer of the skin. Connective tissue and a basement membrane are its main components. This layer adheres firmly to the epidermis. Structurally, it has two regions named reticular and papillary layers. Structures found within this layer include nerve endings, blood vessels, sweat glands, lymph vessels, sebaceous glands, and hair follicles.
Normal skin performs a number of functions. One is protection against pathogens. The skin provides a physical barrier between the external environment and the body (Proksch, Brandner and Jensen 1068). The second function is temperature regulation. The skin provides a surface area for loss of heat when core temperatures are high. The third function is body fluid regulation. It provides a barrier against fluid loss (Proksch, Brandner and Jensen 1068).
Burns disrupt the structure of skin. Burns are categorized as first-degree burns, second-degree burns, and third-degree burns. First-degree burns destroy only the epidermis. Second-degree burns destroy both the epidermis and the dermis. Third-degree burns destroy the epidermis, dermis, and structures beneath the skin.
Burns disrupt the core functio...