The Skin

The skin is the soft outer covering of vertebrates that guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments, and internal organs.

The epidermis includes five main layers: the stratum corneum, stratum lucidium, stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, and stratum germinativum.

The dermis consists of a papillary and a reticular layer that serve to protect and cushion the body from stress and strain.

Skin color is determined largely by the amount of melanin pigment produced by melanocytes in the skin.