What is the role of the skin in thermoregulation: the significance and peculiarities of the process

Skin is a unique organ of the human body. It serves as a natural barrier and a link between him and all environmental factors. In this article, we will look at the role of skin in thermoregulation. And what are the features of the structure you need to have to perform this function?

Human skin: features of the structure

Yes, the skin is really an organ. And the largest in the human body. Its weight in an adult is up to three kg, and the area can reach two square meters. But the thickness of the skin is small - up to 5 mm. And at different sites this value can vary. It depends on the degree of loading. Where it is large, the skin is thicker and coarser. For example, on the soles of the feet. And there, where the friction is minimal - thinner. The skin also forms its derivatives. A person has hair and nails.

Skin performs the most important functions. These include protective, respiratory, excretory, metabolic and synthetic. But to understand what the role of the skin in thermoregulation, it is necessary to consider the basic features of the structure of this organ.

Epidermis

The outer layer of the skin is called the epidermis. It is completely formed by a flat epithelial tissue. This layer consists of two parts. The first is called horny. It is a set of dead cells that peel off daily. But the skin does not become thinner. And this is due to the fact that under the horny there is a second layer of epidermis - a germ layer. These are living, constantly dividing cells that provide a continuous process of skin regeneration.

Leather

Under the epidermis is the dermis, or the skin itself. It is a connective dense tissue that forms the basis of all skin. It consists of collagen fibers. Due to this feature, the skin is elastic and not torn in any movements. There are also receptors that perceive touch, pain and temperature changes, blood and lymphatic vessels, hair bags, sweat and sebaceous glands.

Subcutaneous fatty tissue

The deepest layer of the skin also consists of adipose tissue, between the beams of which are individual cells. With a significant accumulation in the body of nutrients, the thickness of this layer can increase to several centimeters. Processes of thermoregulation, protection against mechanical damage, provision of nutrition during its lack - these are the main functions of subcutaneous fat.

What is body thermoregulation

Man is a warm-blooded animal. This means that the temperature of his body is constant and does not depend on changing environmental conditions. 36.6 degrees - this rate is known even to children. Features of human thermoregulation consist in the constancy of this indicator both in hot heat and in severe cold. How is this possible? The body constantly consumes organic substances that are part of the diet. They are split, and as a result, thermal energy is generated. The process of its return to the environment occurs according to the laws of physics. The air temperature is usually lower than that of the body. Therefore, heat transfer occurs from the area with a high index in the opposite direction. Those. Warmth gives back the body. As a result, the human temperature remains constant. What is the role of the skin in thermoregulation? It is this body that determines the intensity of this process. In the case of a decrease in air temperature, skin thermoreceptors are irritated and a reflex reaction of heat conservation is triggered. This is so: the blood vessels located in the dermis, narrow, blood flows less and the heat transfer rate decreases.

In conditions of high temperature, during physical exertions the mechanism of thermoregulation is carried out differently. In this case, the body needs to give a certain amount of heat, so that its overheating does not occur. Under such conditions, receptors of another type are irritated. They perceive heat, resulting in a nervous impulse and the corresponding reflex response of the body. It consists in the fact that the skin vessels expand, the skin receives a large amount of blood and the intensity of heat emission increases. Thus, in the human body there are constantly two opposite processes. The first of these is called heat formation. It occurs due to the cleavage of macromolecules of organic substances. The second is heat transfer. It is carried out by the skin and respiratory system. The difference between these two processes is called thermoregulation.

What is the significance of thermoregulation

The importance of thermoregulation for the life of the body can not be overemphasized. Imagine that the temperature of our body depends on the environment. Then in a strong heat the organism would simply perish, as the proteins irreversibly break down at a temperature of + 42 degrees. Under these conditions, the process of their destruction occurs - a violation of the integrity of the amino acid chain. In the opposite case, the blood would simply freeze in the vessels, since its intercellular substance is plasma, 99% of which is water. But thanks to the activity of the coordinated activity of the skin and the nervous system, this does not happen. But not only does temperature affect thermoregulation. Surely everyone in the exam worried with palms of hands. Why is this happening? The thing is that in a state of fear, the glands of internal secretion secrete hormones into the blood, which lead to vasodilation and, as a result, an increase in heat transfer.

We examined what the role of the skin in body thermoregulation is. This body balances the processes of obtaining and releasing heat, ensuring a constant body temperature of all warm-blooded organisms.