Skincare:The Science Lesson

Words Dr Emma Amoafo-Mensah   

For many people, the skin is thought of as a covering to display their beauty, to make up and to take care of. As a dermatologist however, Dr Emma is here to educate the world on the complexities of the skin.

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1. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and in my opinion, the most important. 

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The average adult as 1.75m2 of skin, and it plays a very important role in the body. The skin protects us from infection by providing a coat for all  the organs on the inside. Imagine if your muscles, bones, heart, lungs etc were exposed to the elements all day every day – they wouldn’t be able to function. Think of your skin as a beautiful, soft, whole body Canada Goose jacket. 

Your skin is what allows you to feel all sensation - heat, cold, pain and pleasure are all tangible sensations only because the skin allows you to feel them. This may not seem important at first, but imagine being burnt but not knowing you were being burnt, or stepping on sharp things without feeling pain – you would cause a lot of damage to your body every day. 

Alongside this, your skin allows you to keep your temperature within acceptable limits. It creates sweat to cool you down in the heat, and it tells your little microscopic hairs to stand up in the cold – creating an automatic custom made fur jacket.

2. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the world. 

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Luckily, most skin cancers are benign, so they often aren’t the first to come to mind when people think of cancer. Melanomas, however, are a very dangerous type of cancer that kill over 2000 people in the UK alone each year. By far the biggest risk factor for getting skin cancer is UV rays from the sun, so wearing sunscreen is a must. 

3. Your skin often tells you what’s going on inside. 

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There are many medical conditions that manifest themselves on the skin. Diabetes, allergies and inflammatory conditions of the bowels can all cause skin rashes. It’s in your interest to pay attention to your skin, because it can sometimes give you the first sign of more serious conditions going on within.

Dr Emma Amoafo-Mensah - NHS Doctor