Skin Disorders- All Skin Diseases and Conditions
THE SKIN consists of two layers which differ in structure and in origin: the cuticle, also known as scarf-skin, epidennis, or epithelium; and the true skin, also known as cutis vera, corium, or dennis. The cuticle varies from a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1 mm. The true skin is the fibrous layer which forms the chief part of the body covering. It varies in thickness from 0.5 mm to 3 mm, being coarser on the back than in the front of the body, and thicker in men than in women. The skin contains two types of glands: sebaceous glands, which secrete a fatty substance; and sweat glands which secrete a clear, watery liquid.
The main function of the skin is a protective one: it covers the underlying muscles, by both protecting them from injury, specially by virtue of the layer of fat immediately beneath the skin, and warding off extremes of temperature. The cuticle fonns a highly impenetrable surface, its horny character and elasticity being well calculated to resist wounds, while the sebaceous matter with which it is provided, renders it almost water-proof. Thus, poisons and drugs are not absorbed in any appreciable amount through the unbroken skin, unless combined with some fatty material, as in ointments. The other functions of the skin are secretion, heat regulation, and respiration (particularly in lower animals).
Skin disorders fall into four categories: disorders of the secreting apparatus, disorders relating to growths on the skin, inflammatory infections, and nervous and parasitic infections. We shall deal with them in the order of their seriousness.
List of Some Skin Disorders
Eczema
Leucoderma
Psoriasis
Urticaria
Greying of Hair
Leprosy
Eye Stye
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