Skin Deep: How Our Skin Works, and Why it Matters [9781399425537]

Overview

A precise exploration of the biology, function, and physiology of human skin.

The skin is a fascinating organ – it's the largest one we have and the only one visible to others. It has to hold the rest of our organs in, maintain our precise body temperature, keep out toxins and radiation, and manufacture vitamins. We use it to feel the world and each other.

Skin Deep explores why the skin is so important for our health, from why wrinkles form and whether collagen supplements actually work, to how Botox affects not just faces but emotions and what the long term impacts are of tattoos. It asks: can we really stop our skin from aging? Is there such a thing as a healthy tan? And does washing with soap actually make us smell worse? Blending the latest research with expert interviews, Alice Klein meets burn survivors, spends a day in a Botox clinic, talks to dermatologists and tattoo artists, meets scientists working on radical new gene therapies, and visits a lab in Japan making robots with living skin; all to provide a deep understanding of the body's boundary.