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Patient Information | Wound Care
Skin... Our First Line of Defense
Skin makes up 10% of our body's weight.
Our skin is also the first line of defense when it comes
to protecting us from the environment. Too often we realize
the attention we need to pay our skin comes all too late,
and we start to care for our skin after we encounter a problem.
Therefore, being proactive in skin management is essential.
Our
skin has two main layers: the epidermis and the dermis. The
epidermis is the outermost layer, which acts as the main
barrier to the environment. The dermis, which is the inner
layer, provides support, blood, and oxygen to our skin. There
are many factors that affect the skin, such as: aging, soap
friction, shearing, nutrition, and abrasive forces.
Along with having an impact on our appearance, our skin provides
us with protection, sensation, temperature, metabolism, and
the ability to discharge waste (sweat, urine) from our blood,
tissue, and organs.
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