STRUCTURA PIELII

STRUCTURA PIELII

The skin has the largest surface area of any organ in the body and is the heaviest. On the surface are the sensitive papillae, and within are certain organs with special functions, the sweat glands, hair follicles, and sebaceous glands. The skin protects the internal organs of the body against infection, injury, and harmful sun rays. It also plays an important role in the regulation of body temperature. Although the skin of an average-sized adult may weigh as much as twenty pounds, it is only paper thin in some places and not much thicker in others.