Just like the heart, brain or liver, the skin is an organ. It is even the largest of all our organs (1). The skin represents 7% of the weight of the adult human body. An organ is defined by the role it plays in the body. The skin has several vital roles.
The roles of the skin
- Protection: this is its first function. The inner environment of our body has a very fragile balance. It is completely isolated from the external environment, except for the digestive and respiratory systems. The skin forms a barrier that protects the inner environment from everything that comes from the outside: heat, cold, water, infections etc…
- It is also the organ of one of the senses: the touch. Touch, referred to as one of the five senses, is actually much more complex. If we define a sense as a category of perception, what we group under the term “touch” includes several of them. The skin contains different types of receptors: they react to pressure and vibration (mechanical receptors), heat and cold (thermo-receptors), or pain (nociceptors), unpleasant, but essential for survival.
- Its last, less known role is that of an emunctory, i.e. the excretion of waste. Other emunctories of the body are the intestines, lungs, kidneys and intestines. The skin produces sweat, which also serves as a thermal regulator.
Eczéma, a common condition of the skin
One of the hypotheses regarding eczema is that it would be the outside, visible part of a problem existing on the inside. As an emunctory, the skin would serve as a “rescue” elimination channel when others can no longer do their job. This hypothesis is not proven, but can be used as a basis when looking for the causes of eczema. One way to help your body would be to test different foods, eliminate some, add others… to help cure your eczema.
In the meantime, you can relieve your skin by applying moisturizers. Pacific ointment, in addition to moisturizing, also helps to relieve itching, fight infections, and heal. It is the most complete treatment to fight against the symptoms of eczema, until the cause is found.
The skin is a vital organ, this is why people with eczema are so distressed. It is therefore very important to take care of it to preserve its functions.
(1) Interstitium, recently discovered, may in fact be the largest organ in the human body. It had never been characterized until recently, although its existence had been suspected for a long time.
