Eli5: Why does skin shed?
In: Biology
Skin comes off when skin cells regenerate out; irritation heals; or simple scratching. Skin has three layers, which all work together to maintain the body’s largest organ- surface skin. Our mind can send signals to let us know our skin is ready to shed by making us itchy, and thus we scratch in instinct. Shedding is a sign of the skin cell layers doing their natural purpose- to sense our surroundings and protection from the elements. They regenerate every 24hours, some sooner, some later.
Skin intentionally grows outward to create a replaceable layer of dead cells that can “absorb” any damage into the dead cells.
The dead cells absorb this energy by falling off.
Shredding is this process of dead cells falling off.
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Your body is a master of self-cleaning! Skin shedding is just your body’s way of getting rid of old cells to make room for new, healthy ones. Imagine a snake shedding its skin, just a lot less dramatic. 😂
Our skin is constantly renewing itself to get rid of old or damaged cells and to protect us from environmental factors like bacteria and UV rays. Basically, it’s like nature’s way of giving us a new “shield” every month or so. Kinda gross, but super cool at the same time.
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