THE SKIN WE’RE IN

Which is the largest organ in your body? The heart? The stomach? The brain? None of those answers is correct. It’s the skin! Yes, your skin is an organ, and it is very important. It warms you up when you are cold, and it cools you down when you are hot. Your skin also protects you by keeping infections out of your body so you don’t get sick. The top layer of skin is made of dead cells. If cells are dead, viruses can’t infect them. This is a great protection system. How long do the dead skin cells stay on your body? Not long. You lose about one million skin cells every hour. Where do the skin cells go? Into the air! Every time you inhale, you are breathing in skin cells. I know that’s disgusting, but it gets even worse. That dust on your television is made up of dead skin cells. It’s on your tables, your furniture and everywhere you look. Yes, it’s terrible. And it gets even worse. Your house is filled with trillions of dust mites. They are microscopic animals that eat dead skin! They are tiny monsters that eat people! But they are there to help you. They clean your house for you. And don’t worry about breathing in skin cells. You started breathing them the minute you were born.