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(Article) Kids Health--Hair, Skin, Nails (teens)

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(Article) Kids Health--Hair, Skin, Nails (teens)

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Skin, our largest organ, has many jobs. It: protects the network of muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and everything else inside our bodies forms a barrier that prevents harmful substances and germs from entering the body protects body tissues against injury helps control body temperature through sweating when we're hot and by helping keep heat in the body when we're cold Without the nerve cells in skin, people couldn't feel warmth, cold, or other sensations.

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Quick! What's the body's biggest organ?

You might be surprised to find out it's the skin, which you might not think of as an organ. No matter how you think of it, your skin is very important. It covers and protects everything inside your body. Without skin, people's muscles, bones, and organs would be hanging out all over the place. Skin holds everything together. It also:

protects our bodies

helps keep our bodies at just the right temperature

allows us to have the sense of touch

Don't Miss Your Epidermis

The skin is made up of three layers, each with its own important parts. The layer on the outside is called the epidermis (say: eh-pih-DUR-mis). The epidermis is the part of your skin you can see.

Look down at your hands for a minute. Even though you can't see anything happening, your epidermis is hard at work. At the bottom of the epidermis, new skin cells are forming.

When the cells are ready, they start moving toward the top of your epidermis. This trip takes about 2 weeks to a month. As newer cells continue to move up, older cells near the top die and rise to the surface of your skin. What you see on your hands (and everywhere else on your body) are really dead skin cells.

Bye-Bye Skin Cells

These old cells are tough and strong, just right for covering your body and protecting it. But they only stick around for a little while. Soon, they'll flake off. Though you can't see it happening, every minute of the day we lose about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells off the surface of our skin.

So just in the time it took you to read this far, you've probably lost about 40,000 cells. That's almost 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of cells every year! But don't think your skin might wear out someday. Your epidermis is always making new skin cells that rise to the top to replace the old ones. Most of the cells in your epidermis (95%) work to make new skin cells.

And what about the other 5%? They make a substance called melanin (say: MEL-uh-nun). Melanin gives skin its color. The darker your skin is, the more melanin you have. When you go out into the sun, these cells make extra melanin to protect you from getting burned by the sun's ultraviolet, or UV, rays.

That's why your skin gets tan if you spend a lot of time in the sun. But even though melanin is mighty, it can't shield you all by itself. You'll want to wear sunscreen and protective clothing, such as a hat, to prevent painful sunburns. Protecting your skin now also can help prevent skin cancer when you get older.

The Dermis Is Under the Epidermis

The next layer down is the dermis (say: DUR-mis). You can't see your dermis because it's hidden under your epidermis. The dermis contains nerve endings, blood vessels, oil glands, and sweat glands. It also contains collagen and elastin, which are tough and stretchy.

The nerve endings in your dermis tell you how things feel when you touch them. They work with your brain and nervous system, so that your brain gets the message about what you're touching. Is it the soft fur of a cat or the rough surface of your skateboard?

Sometimes what you feel is dangerous, so the nerve endings work with your muscles to keep you from getting hurt. If you touch something hot, the nerve endings in your dermis respond right away: "Ouch! That's hot!" The nerves quickly send this message to the brain or spinal cord, which then immediately commands the muscles to take your hand away. This all happens in a split second, without you ever thinking about it.

Dermis = Lots of Blood Vessels

Your dermis is also full of tiny blood vessels. These keep your skin cells healthy by bringing them the oxygen and nutrients they need and by taking away waste. These blood vessels are hard to see in kids, but you might get a better look if you check out your grandparents' skin. As the dermis gets older, it gets thinner and easier to see through.

The dermis is home to the oil glands, too. These are also called sebaceous (say: sih-BAY-shus) glands, and they are always producing sebum (say: SEE-bum). Sebum is your skin's own natural oil. It rises to the surface of your epidermis to keep your skin lubricated and protected. It also makes your skin waterproof - as long as sebum's on the scene, your skin won't absorb water and get soggy.

You also have sweat glands in your dermis. Even though you can't feel it, you actually sweat a tiny bit all the time. The sweat comes up through pores, tiny holes in the skin that allow it to escape. When the sebum meets the sweat, they form a protective film that's a bit sticky.

An easy way to see this film in action is to pick up a pin with your fingers. Then wash your hands well with soap and water and dry them off completely. Now try to pick up that pin again. It won't be so easy because your sticky layer is gone! Don't worry - it will be back soon, as your sebaceous and sweat glands create more sticky stuff.

The Third Layer Is Subcutaneous Fat

The third and bottom layer of the skin is called the subcutaneous (say: sub-kyoo-TAY-nee-us) layer. It is made mostly of fat and helps your body stay warm and absorb shocks, like if you bang into something or fall down. The subcutaneous layer also helps hold your skin to all the tissues underneath it.

This layer is where you'll find the start of hair, too. Each hair on your body grows out of a tiny tube in the skin called a follicle (say: FAHL-ih-kul). Every follicle has its roots way down in the subcutaneous layer and continues up through the dermis.

You have hair follicles all over your body, except on your lips, the palms of your hands, and the soles of your feet. And you have more hair follicles in some places than in others - there are more than 100,000 follicles on your head alone!

Your hair follicles rely on your sebaceous glands to bring on the shine. Connected to each follicle in the dermis layer is a tiny sebaceous gland that releases sebum onto the hair. This lightly coats the hair with oil, giving it some shine and a little waterproofing.

Skin Can Warm and Cool You

Your skin can help if you're feeling too hot or too cold. Your blood vessels, hair, and sweat glands cooperate to keep your body at just the right temperature. If you were to run around in the heat, you could get overheated. If you play outside when it's cold, your inner temperature could drop. Either way, your skin can help.

Your body is pretty smart. It knows how to keep your temperature right around 98.6°F (37°C) to keep you and your cells healthy. Your skin can respond to messages sent out by your hypothalamus (say: hy-po-THAL-uh-mus), the brain's inner thermometer.

If you've been running around on a hot day, your blood vessels get the signal from the hypothalamus to release some of your body's heat. They do this by bringing warm blood closer to the surface of your skin. That's why you sometimes get a red face when you run around.

To cool you down, sweat glands also swing into action by making lots of sweat to release body heat into the air. The hotter you are, the more sweat your glands make! Once the sweat hits the air, it evaporates (this means that it changes from a liquid to a vapor) off your skin, and you cool down.

What about when you're ice-skating or sledding? When you're cold, your blood vessels keep your body from losing heat by narrowing as much as possible and keeping the warm blood away from the skin's surface. You might notice tiny bumps on your skin. Most kids call these goosebumps , but the fancy name for them is the pilomotor (say: PY-lo-mo-ter) reflex. The reflex makes special tiny muscles called the erector pili (say: ee-REK-tur pee-LEE) muscles pull on your hairs so they stand up very straight.

Keep It Clean!

Unlike other organs (like your lungs, heart, and brain), your skin likes a good washing. When you wash your skin, use water and a mild soap. And don't forget to cover scrapes and cuts with gauze or a bandage. This keeps the dirt out and helps prevent infections. It's just one way to be kind to the skin you're in!

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Quick! What's the body's biggest organ? You might be surprised to find out it's the skin, which you might not think of as an organ. No matter how you think of it, your skin is very important. It covers and protects everything inside your body.

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When you think of your hair, you probably think of the hair on your head. But there's hair on almost every part of your body. (Places that don't have hair include the lips, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet.)

Some of the hair on your body is easy to see, like your eyebrows and the hair on your head, arms, and legs. But other hair, like that on your cheek, is almost invisible.

Depending on where it is, hair has different jobs. The hair on your head keeps your head warm and provides a little cushioning for your skull. Eyelashes protect your eyes by decreasing the amount of light and dust that go into them, and eyebrows protect your eyes from sweat dripping down from your forehead.

Hair Comes From Where?

Whether hair is growing out of your head, arm, or ankle, it all rises out of the skin in the same way. It starts at the hair root, a place beneath the skin where cells band together to form keratin (the protein that hair is made of). The root is inside a follicle (say: FOL-ih-kul), which is like a small tube in the skin.

As the hair begins to grow, it pushes up from the root and out of the follicle, through the skin where it can be seen. Tiny blood vessels at the base of every follicle feed the hair root to keep it growing. But once the hair is at the skin's surface, the cells within the strand of hair aren't alive anymore. The hair you see on every part of your body contains dead cells. That's why it doesn't cause pain when someone cuts your hair with scissors!

Nearly every hair follicle is attached to a sebaceous (say: sih-BAY-shus) gland, which is sometimes called an oil gland. These sebaceous glands produce oil, which makes the hair shiny and a bit waterproof. Sometimes, like during puberty, these glands can pump out too much oil and a person's hair may look greasy. Time for a shampoo!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

You have more than 100,000 hairs on your head, but you lose some every day. About 50 to 100 hairs fall out each day while you're washing your hair, brushing or combing it, or just sitting still. But don't worry, new hairs are constantly replacing those that have fallen out.

Each hair on your head grows for about 2 to 6 years. Then it rests for a few months and finally falls out. It is replaced by a new hair, which begins to grow from the same hair follicle. This cycle of hair growing, resting, falling out, and being replaced helps to maintain just the right number of hairs on your head.

Hair Comes in Many Colors

What kind of hair do you have - black and curly, blond and straight, or some other combination? Hair color comes from melanin (say: MEL-uh-nun), the substance that gives hair and skin its pigment. The lighter someone's hair, the less melanin there is. A person with brown or black hair has much more melanin than someone with blond or red hair. Older people lose the melanin pigment in their hair as they age, making their hair look gray or white.

Often, a person's skin color goes with the color of his or her hair. For example, many blondes have light skin, whereas many people with darker skin have dark brown or black hair. And don't forget genes (genes are what you inherit from your parents): Usually, a kid's hair color is determined by one or both parents' hair color.

When it comes to type, your hair follicles make a difference. Some hair follicles are structured in a way that produces curly hair, whereas others send out straight hair. Follicles also determine if your hair will be thick and coarse or thin and fine.

Taking Care of Hair

With hair, the main thing is keeping it clean. Some people wash their hair every day, but others do it just once or twice a week. It depends on your hair and what kind of things you've been doing, like exercising or swimming.

When you wash your hair, use a gentle shampoo and warm water. Lather up using your fingertips, rather than your fingernails. You might use a conditioner or a shampoo containing a conditioner. This can take the tangles out or your hair and make it look smooth. But depending on your hair, it can also make it look flat and oily. Rinse your hair with plenty of clean water. Dry it gently with a towel and use a wide-tooth comb to untangle it.

Be kind to your hair - wet or dry - by being gentle when you comb or brush your hair. Don't yank on knots too hard and don't wear your ponytails and braids too tight. This can irritate your scalp. And if you use curling irons or blow-dryers, be careful and ask for adult help when needed. You don't want to burn yourself.

Here's an easy way to have great-looking hair: Eat a healthy diet. It's not as weird as it sounds. A nutritious diet helps your body from the inside out!

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When you think of your hair, you probably think of the hair on your head. But there's hair on almost every part of your body. (Places that don't have hair include the lips, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet.)

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You may not think about your nails, unless you just painted them blue or your mom says it's time to trim them. But your nails have a job to do. The hard surface of your nails helps to protect the tips of your fingers and toes. And your fingernails make it easier to scratch an itch or remove a dog hair from your sweater.

Nails themselves are made of keratin (say: KAIR-uh-tin). This is the same substance your body uses to create hair and the top layer of your skin. You had fingernails and toenails before you were even born. Where do they come from?

It may look like your fingernails and toenails start growing where your U-shaped cuticle (say: KYOO-tih-kul) begins. But there's more going on under the surface. Nails start in the nail root, hidden under the cuticle.

When cells at the root of the nail grow, the new nail cells push out the old nail cells. These old cells flatten and harden, thanks to keratin, a protein made by these cells. The newly formed nail then slides along the nail bed, the flat surface under your nails. The nail bed sits on top of tiny blood vessels that feed it and give your nails their pink color.

Your fingernails grow slowly - in fact, they grow about one tenth of an inch (2.5 millimeters) each month. At that rate it can take about 3 to 6 months to completely replace a nail.

Where your nail meets your skin is your cuticle. Cuticles help to protect the new nail as it grows out from the nail root. The lunula (say: LOON-yuh-luh) - which comes from the Latin word for "moon" - is that pale half circle just above the cuticle. Your lunula is easiest to see on your thumbnails.

Nail Care

You might need an adult to help you trim your fingernails and toenails, which can be a little challenging. A nail clipper or a pair of nail scissors may be used. To smooth jagged edges, you can use a nail file or emery board, which works like sandpaper.

Fingernails should be trimmed straight across and slightly rounded at the top. Having nicely trimmed nails can keep you from biting or picking at them, which can lead to infections. It's also a good idea to moisturize nails and cuticles regularly. A little hand lotion or moisturizer will do the trick.

Because toenails are slowpokes (they don't grow nearly as fast as fingernails), they don't need to be trimmed as often. They should be trimmed straight across, which can be difficult, so you might want to ask a parent for help.

Manicures and Pedicures

Sometimes people get their fingernails and toenails cut and polished by a professional in a salon. Manicures (done on hands and fingernails) and pedicures (done on feet and toenails) are popular services for girls and women (and even some guys!). If you get one, you'll want to be sure the salon follows strict guidelines for cleaning its tools and the stations where hands and feet are washed, trimmed, buffed, and polished.

To prevent infections and other problems, experts recommend taking your own nail clippers and other tools to the manicurist or pedicurist. That's better because you won't be exposed to bacteria and other bad stuff that can linger on the tools that were used on other people's hands and feet.

It can be fun to do your own manicure or pedicure at home, but you may want to ask for an adult's help. Use special care with sharp tools, nail polish, or nail polish remover. These items can be especially dangerous if a little brother or sister gets ahold of them! Also, the ingredients in some nail polishes and removers can be damaging and dry out your nails.

Common Nail Problems

Most of the time, your nails are pink and healthy, but sometimes nails have problems. Some of the most common for kids include:

ingrown nail - when the nail curves down and into the skin, causing pain and, sometimes, an infection

nail injury - when you drop something on your big toe or catch your finger in a drawer. A bruise may appear under the nail and sometimes the nail falls off. A new one grows in its place.

nail deformity - when the nail isn't smooth, like a healthy nail. People who bite or pick at their nails a lot can have this problem, but it also can happen if someone has an illness that affects the nail.

hangnail - when a loose strip of dead skin hangs from the edge of a fingernail. Hangnails hurt if you pull them off.

Some of these problems, such as a minor nail injury or hangnail, can be handled at home by your mom or dad. But infections and more serious nail injuries need a doctor's care. Signs of a nail infection include pain, redness, puffiness (swelling), and maybe some pus.

What Your Nails Have to Say

Don't be surprised if your doctor takes a look at your nails at your next checkup, even if you're having no problems with them. Fingernails provide good clues to a person's overall health.

For instance, when the doctor presses your nails, he or she is checking your blood circulation. By looking at your nails, a doctor may find changes that may be associated with skin problems, lung disease, anemia, and other medical conditions. Your nails are in the know!

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You may not think about your nails, unless you just painted them blue or your mom says it's time to trim them. But your nails have a job to do. The hard surface of your nails helps to protect the tips of your fingers and toes.

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