The skin is a unique organ of the human body. It serves as a natural barrier and a connecting link between it and all environmental factors at the same time. In our article, we will consider what is the role of skin in thermoregulation. But what structural features do you need to have to perform this function?
Human skin: structural features
Yes, skin is really an organ. And the largest in the human body. Its weight in an adult is up to three kg, and the area can reach two square meters. But the skin thickness is small - up to 5 mm. Moreover, in different areas, this value can vary. It depends on the degree of load. Where it is large, the skin is thicker and rougher. For example, on the feet. And where friction is minimal - finer. The skin also forms its derivatives. In humans, it is hair and nails.
The skin performs the most important functions. These include protective, respiratory, excretory, metabolic and synthetic. But in order to understand what the role of skin is in thermoregulation, it is necessary to consider the main features of the structure of this organ.
Epidermis
The outer layer of the skin is called the epidermis. It is completely formed by flat epithelial tissue. This layer has two parts. The first is called horny. It is a multitude of dead cells that are exfoliated daily. But the skin does not become thinner. And this happens due to the fact that under the horny there is a second layer of the epidermis - sprout. These are living, constantly dividing cells that provide a continuous process of skin regeneration.
The skin itself
Under the epidermis is the dermis, or the skin itself. This is a dense connective tissue that forms the basis of the entire skin. Its composition includes collagen fibers. Due to this feature, the skin is elastic and does not tear during any movement. There are also receptors that perceive touch, pain and temperature changes, blood and lymph vessels, hair bags, sweat and sebaceous glands.
Subcutaneous fat
The deepest layer of the skin also consists of adipose tissue, between the bundles of which are individual cells. With a significant accumulation of nutrients in the body, the thickness of this layer can increase to several centimeters. The processes of thermoregulation, protection against mechanical damage, nutrition during its deficiency - these are the main functions of subcutaneous fat.
What is body thermoregulation?
Man is a warm-blooded animal. This means that the temperature of his body is constant and does not depend on changes in environmental conditions. 36.6 degrees - this indicator of the norm is known even to children. Peculiarities of human thermoregulation consist in the constancy of this indicator both in hot heat and in severe cold. How is this possible? The body constantly consumes organic substances that are part of the diet. They break down, and thermal energy is generated as a result. The process of its return to the environment occurs according to the laws of physics. Air temperature is usually lower than that of the body. Therefore, heat transfer occurs from a region with a high rate to the opposite. Those. heat gives up the body. As a result, the human temperature remains constant. What is the role of skin in thermoregulation? It is this body that determines the intensity of this process. In the event of a drop in air temperature, skin thermoreceptors are irritated and a reflex reaction of heat conservation is triggered. This happens as follows: the blood vessels located in the dermis are narrowed, less blood flows and the heat transfer rate decreases.
In conditions of elevated temperature, during physical exertion, the thermoregulation mechanism is carried out differently. In this case, the body needs to give a certain amount of heat so that it does not overheat. Under such conditions, receptors of a different type are irritated. They absorb heat, resulting in a nerve impulse and the corresponding reflex reaction of the body. It lies in the fact that the vessels of the skin expand, a large amount of blood enters the skin and the intensity of heat transfer increases. Thus, in the human body two opposite processes are constantly occurring. The first of these is called heat generation. It occurs due to the splitting of macromolecules of organic substances. The second is heat transfer. It is carried out by the skin and respiratory system. The difference between these two processes is called thermoregulation.
What is the significance of thermoregulation
The importance of thermoregulation for the life of the body is difficult to overestimate. Imagine that our body temperature depends on the environment. Then, in extreme heat, the body would simply die, because the proteins are irreversibly destroyed at a temperature of + 42 degrees. Under these conditions, the process of their destruction occurs - a violation of the integrity of the amino acid chain. In the opposite case, the blood would simply freeze in the vessels, since its intercellular substance - plasma, consists of 99% water. But thanks to the activities of the coordinated activity of the skin and nervous system, this does not happen. But not only temperature affects thermoregulation. Surely everyone on the exam from the excitement sweated their palms . Why is this happening? The thing is that in a state of fear, the endocrine glands secrete hormones into the blood, which lead to vasodilation and, as a result, an increase in heat transfer.
We examined the role of the skin in the thermoregulation of the body. This body balances the processes of heat production and release, ensuring the constancy of the body temperature of all warm-blooded organisms.