The Skin: Our Most Complex Organ System?

Did you know that there is an organ system in our bodies that we often tend to neglect and yet it probably is the most complex organ system that we as human beings possess? Have you guessed it? Yes, it's the skin that covers your body and here are some of the more amazing facts that scientists have discovered about how your skin functions, and the many skin diseases that can affect us:

Getting (Drugs) Under Your Skin: Using Ultrasound Waves, Researchers Boost Skin's Permeability to Drugs

ScienceDaily (Sep. 14, 2012) — Using ultrasound waves, MIT engineers have found a way to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient. This technology could pave the way for noninvasive drug delivery or needle-free vaccinations, according to the researchers.

Noninvasive drug delivery

Such a system could be used to deliver any type of drug that is currently given by capsule, potentially increasing the dosage that can be administered. It could also be used to deliver drugs for skin conditions such as acne or psoriasis, or to enhance the activity of transdermal patches already in use, such as nicotine patches...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120914133135.htm

What most folks seem to forget is that our skin is actually a fully functional organ system and it's much more complex than most of us could ever have imagined. Our skin is also responsible for the sensation of touch that we feel and for distinguishing between hot and cold, sharp or blunt and it also determines how we feel pain. Here is a very interesting article on itching and how our bodies react when we scratch an itch:

All Itches Are Not Equal

New research from Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and a world-renowned itch expert, shows that how good scratching an itch feels is related to the itch's location.

While previous studies by Yosipovitch have shown the pleasurability of itching, analysis of itch relief at different body sites and related pleasurability had not been performed until now. The study was published online this month by the British Journal of Dermatology. Read on here...

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. (2012, January 31). "All Itches Are Not Equal." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240919.php

Skin diseases are also often the cause of itching so healthy skin as well as diseases of the skin can cause severe itching. Here is some good information about the causes of a rather embarrassing skin condition called anal itching:

What is anal itching?

Anal itching is the irritation of the skin at the exit of the rectum, known as the anus, accompanied by the desire to scratch. Although itching may be a reaction to chemicals in the stool, it often implies that there is inflammation of the anal area. The intensity of anal itching and the amount of inflammation increases from the direct trauma of scratching and the presence of moisture. At its most intense, anal itching causes intolerable discomfort that often is described as burning and soreness.

What causes anal itching?

Anal itching can be caused by irritating chemicals in the foods we eat, such as are found in spices, hot sauces, and peppers. Anal itching also can be caused by the irritation of continuous moisture in the anus caused by frequent liquid stools, diarrhea, or escape of small amounts of stool (incontinence). Moisture increases the possibility of infections of the anus, especially yeast, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus or HIV.
Go here for more info:

http://www.medicinenet.com/anal_itching/article.htm

Types Of Skin Diseases

Here's a great video on skin itching:



 

JAY W. MARKS, MD