Eli5 Why does lip skin grow so fast?

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My lips dry pretty easily and I peel the skin off my lips pretty regularly, it seems like it grows multiple layers a day. Why does regular skin scab and take days/weeks to heal but lip skin can grow so damn quickly?

Nothing I google is helping.

In: Biology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

im not too sure but maybe its the same reason wounds in your mouth heal super fast?

Anonymous 0 Comments

Mucosal tissue had a high rate of regeneration.

Our outside skin is a barrier, plain and simple (with the exception of some sweat and oil glands). It’s number one job is to keep the nasties out of our business. To do that it layers itself over and over again. It’s always replenishing, but because it deposits layers at a time and therefore you have a longer stretch to get back to normal.

The mucosal tissue had a lot more back and forth across the tissue lining. In the mouth, it’s mostly a one way, but as you move down the digestive tract, it becomes a transport mechanism. This tissue is much thinner, as thin as a single layer of cells in some areas. Because we don’t wait for the cells to shrink down into squamous layers, it’s a more streamlined process and can move faster.

Your lips and your anus are the 2 ends of that mucosal digestive tract. They’re a little bit transitional so they get some features of the straight mucosa and some of the squamous epithelium.