Abstract
The skin is a marvelous organ that functions as one of the body’s major interfaces with the environment and, in that anatomic position, has at least two major functional requirements. First, it must provide a protective barrier that severely limits the ability of potentially toxic agents in the environment to penetrate into the body where injurious effects can occur. Conversely, the skin must also limit the egress of essential body constituents into the environment. The second major functional requirement for this organ is sufficient flexibility and elasticity to permit maximum freedom of movement while simultaneously possessing enough tensile strength to resist tearing by physical forces in the environment.
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Bronaugh RL, Maibach HI (eds.): Percutaneous Absorption Mechanisms, Methodology and Drug Delivery, 2nd ed, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1989.
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Bickers, D.R. (1992). The Skin. In: Tarcher, A.B. (eds) Principles and Practice of Environmental Medicine. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2447-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2447-6_6
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