Skin Cells

The skin cover the entire body and is our largest organ. It functions to protect the internal organs from mechanical, thermal, and chemical exposure as well as prevent evaporation of body liquids and of course also act as a barrier for pathogens. The outermost layer of the skin is called the epidermis. This layer varies in thickness depending on the location, but in general it is about 0.2 mm - 0.5 mm, or 200-500 microns thick. The epidermis can be subdivided into five (actually six) individual layers all made up mostly of skin cells, called keratinocytes. In fact 90-95% of the cells in the epidermis are keratinocytes.