The Lowdown on Detoxification - The Skin

The skin, which is our largest organ, consists of three different layers: the outer layer (epidermis), the middle layer (dermis) and the deepest layer (subcutis). It keeps our insides in, and protects us from external factors. It is thickest on the heels of our hands and feet and thinnest on the eyelids. Without it, we'd literally evaporate.

We shed a LOT of skin, individually leaving behind a half kilo of skin flakes every year, and shedding approximately 25,000 skin flakes a minute. This is owing to the fact our bodies are continually rejuvenating our skin. The epidermis constantly renews itself as new cells are made in the lower layers of the epidermis. These move to the surface within a month. This constant renewal serves to replace the cells that are lost.

The middle layer of our skin (dermis) houses hair follicles and glands with ducts that pass up through the skin. We have 2-5million hair follicles on our body, (yes, we’re as hairy as apes, just with finer hairs), with nearly twice the number of sweat glands. The chief role of sweat is thermoregulation, bringing down our internal temperature when necessary, but this simultaneously flushes out toxins and the waste fluids urea and lactate (but only in trace amounts).

You can read our guide to eating your way to healthy skin, here.