Getting to know your skin is the first step to taking proper care of it! If you want to take the best care possible, for health and anti-aging reasons, then knowing how the skin works is the key. Here are the top 21 skin facts to get to know your skin better!

Basic Skin Facts

• The skin is the largest organ in the body. An organ is defined as a part of the body that is self- contained and has a specific vital function. It protects against heat, sunlight, injury, and infection. The skin also regulates body temperature and stores fat, water and vitamin D.
• The thinnest skin is found on your eyelids where it is only 0.02 mm thick. The thickest skin is found on your feet where it is 1.4 mm thick.
• The skin around our whole body has its own unique stretching ability. For example, the skin on your knuckles is able to stretch way more than the skin on your arms.
• Your skin has 3 layers, which are the epidermis, dermis and subcutis. The epidermis is waterproof and mainly a layer of dead skin cells. The dermis is the layer of sweat glands and hair. The subcutis is the layer comprised of fat and blood vessels.
• The average person’s skin weighs 9 pounds and spans 21 square feet.
• Skin color is the results of melanin. No matter your skin color, everyone has the same amount of melanin in their skin. The skin color depends on the activity of the melanin, not the amount. 7% of your skin cells are melanocytes.
• Melanin is also responsible for the color of your eyes. The skin that covers your eyes is very sensitive and clear.
• Lighter skin tones appeared roughly 20,000 to 50,000 years ago as people migrated to colder climates and evolved lighter skin to facilitate vitamin D production.

Skin Facts on Skin Health

• Every 28 days your skin completely renews itself. This is why it is important to start eating healthy, in 28 days your skin will have totally renewed itself with healthier vitamins!

• For healthy skin you need to consume vitamin A, D, C and E. Each of these vitamins play a critical role in keeping your skin healthy and youthful.
• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer during the course of their lifetime.
• Daily use of an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen reduces the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by 40 percent, and reduces the risk of developing melanoma by 50 percent.
• The oiliness of our skin determines what type of hair will grow. Large oil glands, which produce more oil, have thinner hairs. Small oil glands, that produce less oil, have thicker hair. You can observe this on the face because where there is a lot of oil there are few hairs. Regions of the face, like the peripheral, have more hair because the oil glands there are smaller. This is why men grow beards on the peripheral of their face, not the middle!
• Acne is caused by the over production of cells that line the sweat gland.

Weird But True Skin Facts

• Scar tissue lacks hair and sweat glands.
• Every minute, your skin sheds 30,000 dead cells.
• Your skin can release up to 3 gallons of sweat in hot weather!
• About 50% of the dust in your home is dead skin. Dead skin is responsible for about 1 billion tons of dust in the atmosphere.

Anti-Aging Skin Facts

• Lipids are natural fats that make your skin’s outer layer moist and healthy. Using harsh cosmetics with detergents and alcohol will deplete your natural lipids and dry your skin out. This is why it is important to use natural products without harsh ingredients.
• Not everyone’s skin ages the same way. Oily skin types may have cursed their acne in their youth, but this factor will help you age slower than your dry skin counter parts. Oils naturally moisturize the skin and protect it from aging. Dry skin types can make up for this by applying a lightweight moisturizer with hyaluronic acid, because this molecule attracts water.
• Stress is not just responsible for acne – it can affect your skin’s texture. Stress can cause skin to become thin and reduce its ability to regenerate, causing you to age faster.