Re: skin

Human skin has three major cell layers:

1. Epidermins which is the outermost layer of skin, the one that tends to peel when you get mild sunburn. The epidermis is made up of dead skin cells known as keratinocytes.
2. Dermis which lies just beneath the epidemis. This layer is the active, living layer of the skin. Skin cells divide here to give rise to subsequent generations of cells that die and become part of the epidermis.
3. Subcutaneous layer of fat: This region lies below the dermis and is thicker in some areas - over the buttocks and abdomen, e.g. than in other areas like the back of your hand. The fat just below the skin serves an important function in insulating the body.

The dead cells that make up the epidermis are capable of absorbing water. When you take a bath, this layer absors the bath water and swells like a sponge, thus producing the puckering and 'pruny' appearance.

-L. Bry, MAD.SCI Admin