The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ

by Monty Lyman

Providing a cover for our delicate and intricate bodies, the skin is our largest and fastest-growing organ. We see it, touch it, and live in it every day. It is a habitat for a mesmerizingly complex world of micro-organisms and physical functions that are vital to our health and our survival. It is also a waste removal plant, a warning system for underlying disease and a dynamic immune barrier to infection. One of the first things people see about us, skin is crucial to our sense of identity, providing us with social significance and psychological meaning. And yet our skin and the fascinating way it functions is largely unknown to us. In prose as lucid as his research underlying it is rigorous, blending in memorable stories from the past and from his own medical experience, Monty Lyman has written a revelatory book exploring our outer surface that will surprise and enlighten in equal measure. Through the lenses of science, sociology, and history--on topics as diverse as the mechanics and magic of touch (how much goes on in the simple act of taking keys out of a pocket and unlocking a door is astounding), the close connection between the skin and the gut, what happens instantly when one gets a paper cut, and how a midnight snack can lead to sunburn--Lyman leads us on a journey across our most underrated and unexplored organ and reveals how our skin is far stranger, more wondrous, and more complex than we have ever imagined.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Health, Biology, Medicine, Medical, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2018

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 "superb, all-encompassing, multi-disciplinary" stars !!!

2021 Honorable Mention with High Distinction Read

Thank you to Netgalley, Dr Lyman and Atlantic Monthly Press for an e-copy. This was released June 2020. I am providing my honest review.

This book was an absolute gem. Written by a dermatologist for a wide audience. The style is clear, respectful and immensely helpful. I am so pleasantly surprised as to how much is packed into this book.

Dr. Lyman takes a holistic and wide panoramic view of disseminating a whole host of information about human skin. He provides plenty of clinical examples and personal anecdotes and there is never a dull moment into this topic area.

I will list some of the topics that I can from memory (but will likely miss many)

-basic anatomy and physiology of skin
-the skin-gut-mind connection
-myths and lies of the beauty care industry (the science behind taking care of our aging skin)
-mechanisms for wound healing
-multiple forms of treatment and healing for various skin conditions
-the mental health challenges of living with skin issues
-history of skin disorders and disorders that have manifestations on the skin including scabies, syphilis , HIV, psoriasis, eczema, leprosy, acne among many others
-anecdotes of his treatment of dermatological populations around the world
-the politics, sociology and anthropology of skin including racism, tattoos, gender relations
-the psychoanalysis and spirituality of skin


The subject was vast and Dr. Lyman was able to impart his knowledge and research in an interesting , respectful and hope instilling way. Kudos Dr. Lyman !

On a fun note...I was completely off meat and poultry while reading this...we will see how long this lasts.

On a serious note....If you are somebody that struggles with hypochondriasis or other health anxiety this book might be quite triggering so please make sure you have the appropriate supports if tackling this book.

[Petra X]

David Beckham has his beloved wife's name writ large on his forearm in flowing Hindi script. Shame it's spelled wrong! LOL

[Sandra Deaconu · Rating 5 out of 5]

O recomand doar celor care au piele...

,,Realitatea noastră vine din imaginea lumii pe care o construim în minte prin intermediul simțurilor, în vreme ce creierul nostru umple, inconștient, spațiile goale din informațiile limitate pe care le primim.''

,,... la suprafața ființei, în acea zonă unde ființa vrea să se manifeste și vrea să se ascundă, mișcările de închidere și deschidere sunt atât de numeroase, atât de adesea inversate, precum și atât de încărcate de ezitare încât am putea încheia prin această formulă: omul este ființa întredeschisă.'' (Gaston Bachelard, în Poetica spațiului)

,,Când ne modificăm pielea, ne modificăm pe noi înșine.''

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An intimate journey across our surface was an interesting journey into the largest organ of the human body. I don't think I had really considered just how important and essential the skin is, and this book has enlightened me, somewhat.

This book describes the structure of the skin, to tattooing the skin, and even as far as how psychological illnesses can have a profound impact on our skin.

I think this book is written well, for the most part, and it is written in such a way that everyone is able to access the information. The chapters flowed comfortably into the next, and most of them contained detailed information. There were one or two chapters that didn't personally satisfy my craving for information, but there were enough tasty morsels in other chapters to keep me going.

I'm happy I came across this intriguing read, and I totally agree: the skin is remarkable.

[NAT.orious reads ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 STARS ★★★★✩

This book is for you if… you're interested in skin, skincare routine, the social / cultural / psychological significance of skin, skin diseases and more.

⤐ Preface.
Shoutout to my skin-care queen Millie (not a GR member) who ultimately inspired me to pay more attention to my skin, especially my post-acne skin care routine, sun lotion and keratosis pilaris.

⤐ Overall.

‘The skin – despite being our largest and most visible organ, despite us seeing and touching it, indeed living in it, every moment of our lives – is the organ most overlooked by the medical profession. [...] The skin is where the individual meets the group, where biology rubs up against culture. While our layer of hide is a defensive barrier against all sorts of threats, skin’s social power has too often made it a weapon.[...] Our skin is not only a physical presence; it is an idea. In the same way that our physical skin contains us while we try to contain it, what it represents has directed the course of history and profoundly affects our own life.’

It cannot be denied that this is a phenomenal book. Monty guides us through his book with ease, each chapter fluently transitioning into the next. Although I am of the opinion that Monty covered everything there is to be covered, I still found myself interested in some of the stuff he had to say, which is why I cannot give more than the 4.25 STARS. There were also some weird expressions I wished he just wouldn't have used, the most dominant one being that our skin is what causes racial discrimination. But it's not the colour of the skin that is to blame, but the people who use it as a base for racial discrimination. Some details also reoccured again and again, until the repetitiveness was annoying rather than impressing.

Although I am overall thrilled with the information in The remarkable life of the skin I found the attention brought to the relation between the sun and the skin particularly relevant. I also love little fun facts such as the fact that our epidermis is replaced each month. That's a blown mind right there. Also; tattoos, although widely bad mouthed in medicine and religion, have proven to be successful treatments of diseases such as arthritis, asthma and recurrent headaches. Ain't that crazy?

Addressing the social and cultural relevance of skin diseases and skin as a canvas for art was another favourite topic of mine, as was Monty doing away with plenty of myths.

⤐ The book is structured as follows
1 The Swiss Army Organ
2 Skin Safari
3 Gut Feeling
4 Towards the Light
5 Ageing Skin
6 The First Sense
7 Psychological Skin
8 Social Skin
9 The Skin That Separates
10 Spiritual Skin
_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 4*

structure = 4*

enjoyability = 4*

insightfulness = 5*
_____________________
Many thanks to Monty Lyman, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing me with this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Remarkable Life of the Skin: an Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ

What a grand adventure this book is! I expected something more along the line of a scientific textbook, and instead find an accessible, relevant to me – as an ordinary layperson – wisdom and knowledge about skin. My skin. Your skin. It is fascinating. Covering the basics about size and shape and purpose, with all those fancy scientific terms is found colloquial language and stories. Stories of his experience with skin-related lessons, bugs, plants, healings, tragedies, magic, mysteries and animals. There is even a “Skin Safari” chapter! Monty Lyman is the James Herriot of skin (that dates me, doesn’t it?). He covers how the skin relates to all the various body parts, guts, eyes, brain and nerves. Then he shows all the parts nature plays in how we live in our skins.

There is fun in this book, where I never expected to find “fun.” From determining what kind of fingerprint you have, to why you go pruney when bathing (it is only your glabrous areas, mind you), that women really do have a better sense of touch than men (size matters, after all!), and the real reason why Scottish people really don’t feel pain (the redheads, anyway. . .). This book features the most British conversation ever, discusses blushing and sweating, talks about our social skins (all those tattoos, folks), sexual skin and then the things religion has done to our skins.

A great time, a great read. I’d recommend it to every human who is still in their skin!

A sincere thanks to Monty Lyman, Grove Atlantic / Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were asked to name your own bodies largest organ you would almost certainly think of one of the ones inside like the liver or the heart, but it is actually the part of you that holds it all together, your skin. It is also an organ that most people think nothing of, day in and day out, but if you know what you are looking for you can see right into a person’s soul through their skin. Most doctors have an interest in all the bits inside, but Lyman is different, his fascination is the outside of us.

Unlike most other mammals we don’t have a significant amount of hair to protect us and keep us warm, rather what we have is a flexible and dynamic substance that can regulate temperature, is waterproof, resilient and is our frontline defence for all manner of nasty things. Flakes of skin are being shed continually, and it constantly regrows. It can be resistant to the sun, but too much exposure can lead to burning and even skin cancers. One of the amazing facts in here is just how sensitive the skin is. Every single square inch can relay back to the brain the fact that it has been touched.

There are some parts in here that are not for the squeamish, he begins with the story of a child who had a disease called harlequin ichthyosis, a horrid condition where the skin is dry cracked and scaly. He goes on to write about how we age and the inevitable wrinkles if moisturisers are any good and methods of keeping your skin in good condition. His skin safari provides details of all the countless bugs and microbes that we all carry, there are some really weird things that live in your belly button, as well of details of some really nasty things that occasionally appear.
I thought that this was a really good science book, he knows his subject thoroughly and has the skills to make the story of our skin very readable without becoming like a scientific paper. Well worth reading.

[Mircea Petcu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cea mai importanta lectie invatata: "bronzul sanatos" nu exista. Melanina transforma doar o parte din radiatia UVB in radiatie infrarosie, restul ajunge sa fragmenteze ADN-ul. Din fericire ADN-ul este insotit de enzime care il repara, cum ar fi ADN polimeraza si ADN ligaza. In lipsa lor am deveni o specie exclusiv nocturna. Utilizarea cremei de protectie solara este obligatorie cand ne expunem mult la soare.

Este interesant de observat cum a devenit bronzul cel nedorit, asociat de elitele din trecut cu muncile pe camp, un simbol al sanatatii.

De asemenea, radiatiiile UVA (cu lungime de unda mai mare) patrund adanc in derma unde distrug fibrele de colagen si reduc activitatea fibroblastelor care produc colagen. Rezultatul:fotoimbatranire. Crema de protectie solara este cea mai buna crema antiimbatranire.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

[7 Oct 2022]
I was interested in this book since I have a number of skin problems myself. Mostly minor annoying issues, but I always want to know more about such things. I think I expected this book to be mostly a description of the physical aspects of our skin and it's diseases. I got both more and less than I expected.

The first couple of chapters do cover the physical composition of the skin, but not in as much detail as I expected. Instead it seemed to be almost just a listing of the physical components. He would spend one or two sentences - no more than a paragraph - on one component, then the next sentence listed another, and the sentence after that listed a third. And it seemed to go on like that for most of the chapters. It probably wasn't as cursory a listing as I'm making it out to be, but I remember thinking that I wanted much more detail about how the skin worked.

Then the rest of the book went on to discuss other aspects of the skin - the relationship to our gut, to our brain, to our psychology. Also social and even spiritual implications of the skin. It was all very interesting if a little unexpected.

The author is a practicing dermatologist in the UK and has experience all over the world. He obviously knows his subject well and really enjoys sharing his expertise. He writes clearly, with occasional dry humor though, as indicated, sometimes I would have liked a little more detail. The book is actually quite short (about 225 pages of primary text), but it does include a detailed glossary, bibliography, and index.

As I said, both less and more than expected. But I enjoyed it and gladly recommend this book.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a condensed treaty about the skin, the largest of our organs, and (I am now convinced) one of the most fascinating ones, written for non-experts.

The book starts with an overview of the structure of the skin, explaining how the different cell types and organelles within each layer allow the skin to accomplish its many functions.

I underlined many paragraphs that I found interesting, which I will not copy here, otherwise this review would become too long, but I can’t help copying a few, so that you get a taste of the interesting information contained in the book.

For example, when discussing the structure of the skin, Lyman explains something that had always puzzled me: why cellulite (which is an upward protrusion of hypodermic fat) appears in 90% of women and only 10% of men. Well, it turns out it is all down to the architecture of the hypodermis: subcutaneous fat is kept in place by collagen fibres that run from the dermis down to the fibrous tissue and muscles below. In women, these fibres are arranged in parallel, like columns, meaning the adipocytes can push up into the dermis, forming cellulite. Men, on the other hand, have criss-crossed collagen fibres, keeping the fat locked inside the hypodermis. So unfair...

On our skin’s microbiome:
“In the developed world we have incredibly high levels of hygiene (...) and children are far less exposed to infectious agents than they would have been a century ago. This is great news when it comes to infectious diseases, but a lack of exposure to bacteria in early life may in fact impair the normal development of the immune system, particularly ‘immune tolerance’. This is the ability of our immune system to hold itself back and remain unresponsive to substances that are harmless or belong to our own body. The potential result of this stunted development is that our skin’s immune system becomes hyperactive and skewed towards allergic and inflammatory conditions. This ‘hygiene hypothesis’ is a compelling explanation for the high rates of eczema, hay fever and asthma in the developed world.”

On the relation between our skin and the sun:
“Like a drug, sunlight has both positive and negative effects on the body and, like a drug, it can also get us hooked. ‘Tanorexia’ is a real phenomenon, where sunlight exposure induces the skin’s synthesis of β-endorphin, which enters the bloodstream and causes an opioid-like effect; opioids being the pain-relieving and addictive family to which morphine and heroin belong. In fact, 20% of beach-goers show signs of sun dependence that would satisfy the symptom criteria for addiction and substance abuse.”

On ageing:
“Alongside sun damage, smoking is an incredibly powerful accelerator of skin-ageing. After just a few years of smoking, premature wrinkles will start to appear and the skin takes on a dull, sallow complexion. This is abundantly clear in photos of twins who live relatively similar lives except one smokes and the other doesn't. Some of the 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke increase matrix metalloproteinases, which damage collagen and elastin, while nicotine causes the narrowing of blood vessels in the skin, reducing its oxygen and nutrient supply.”

The book goes on exploring our skin’s relation with the senses, our nervous system and the way we relate with other people. The writing is full of examples and real-life cases used to illustrate what the author is explaining (as well as graphic illustrations as well), which makes the reading pleasurable and fluid and interesting enough to make this a good read for everyone and not just those interested in science or health issues. I am not giving it the fifth star, only because I would have liked it to go even into more detail.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5) Learned and entertaining, this will leave you feeling that you’ve absorbed all there is to know about the skin. I was more interested in the science-y stuff (anatomy and skin disorders) than in later chapters about the cultural and religious factors that play into how we treat our skin (things like tattooing). It’s not Lyman’s fault, of course, that I’ve encountered quite a lot of his information elsewhere: the microbiome – I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong; sun exposure – Chasing the Sun by Linda Geddes (including the little detail of the successful Australian “Slip! Slop! Slap!” sunburn-prevention campaign); dietary factors and gut health – Gulp by Mary Roach; albinism – Beyond the Pale by Emily Urquhart; racial essentialism – The Lost Family by Libby Copeland; and elements from the skin chapter of The Body by Bill Bryson (general topics like skin layers, melanin, sweat, Vitamin D, fingerprints, microbes, itching and touch).

Lyman makes a good case for the skin being our most interesting (as well as our largest) organ for all the different functions it plays. “Skin is the Swiss Army knife of the organs, possessing a variety of functions unmatched by any other, from survival to social communication. … Simultaneously wall and window, our skin surrounds us physically, but it is also an exquisitely psychological and social part of our being.”

There are lots of painful and even disfiguring skin conditions. I’ve had my own struggles with eczema and acne, which may have felt terrible at the time but were mild compared to what many have gone through. I was also alarmed to read that “one blistering sunburn in childhood increases the risk of melanoma later on in life by 50 per cent” – I got some horrific sunburns on trips to Disney World, so will be watching my moles carefully.

An unexpected take-home of this book for me was: eat more carrots. They give you needed vitamins that (excess) sun exposure might otherwise provide, and lend the skin a healthy glow that in studies was found aesthetically preferable even to a tan. Sadly, people’s attitude towards their skin is more about looks than health: to get people taking proper precautions against the sun, it’s more effective to warn about age spots and wrinkles than it is to highlight cancer statistics. Indeed, “Sunlight is certainly the greatest contributor to skin-ageing.”

Even if you don’t normally read popular science, there’s a lot of important and interesting information in this book, so I would recommend at least giving it a skim to find the sections that catch your attention.

[Alexandra Dav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am luat-o pentru că eram curioasă ce o să aflu și, trebuie să recunosc, mi-a oferit răspunsuri și informații utile, motiv pentru care a intrat și pe lista cu favorite în materie de non-ficțiune de anul trecut. 
Am aflat lucruri noi atât din punct de vedere medical, cât și istoric. Au fost demontate mituri, am parcurs prin obiceiurile diferitelor popoare și am rămas și cu un vibe optimist după lectură. 
Cred că am însemnat mai bine de jumătate de carte. Ori au fost informații utile, ori neștiute ori interesante. 
Mi-au plăcut și desenele pentru că mi-e destul de greu să vizualizez anumite lucruri dacă nu văd un desen concret. 
Termenii sunt explicați și în text, dar și la final (în glosar). De asemenea, a fost super că informațiile de specialitate au fost prezentate pe înțelesul tuturor, acest lucru făcând lectura să fie plăcută. Nu m-am simțit ca la orele de biologie deloc. 

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley

The Remarkable Life of the Skin is all full of trivia, as well as explanations on processes and parts of the skin, so it’s hard to give you an exact rundown of everything. But there was some very interesting information on suntan, aging and sun protection. Let me just tell you that this book shattered some myths for me.

But we don’t just learn trivia from The Remarkable Life of the Skin. It shows you the truly magical world of how we’re built. I don’t know if you’ve ever felt this, but whenever I read medical nonfiction it always baffles me how we are made up. How could we ever come into existence? We are so complicated! (And that goes for the rest of living organisms, to be honest, not just us.)

The book also stresses the connection between mental health and skin health, and it's not just about the science of our skin - it's also about it's social, interpersonal meaning and they way it shapes who we feel we are.

Other than that, The Remarkable Life of the Skin is remarkably easy to read. Medical terminology is used at a minimum, and everything is presented in easy to understand similes or examples. I really found it super easy, and even quick to read. It’s very accessible.

Here is a longer review if you wish to learn more:



Triggers:

Like any book that contains medical descriptions, some of them can be tough to stomach. It wasn't a very graphic book, but I still delayed reading the bits about skin cancer. Thankfully, there was very little about it, and the info was on point and not too graphic. However, there are descriptions of other skin diseases, like Syphilis and how AIDS manifests on the skin, which may be disturbing to read. Again, not very graphic, so if you're squeamish you can skim or just simply skip those paragraphs.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

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[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to a Good Reads give away I received an uncorrected proof copy of Monty Lyman’s The Remarkable Life of the Skin; In Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ. Note that in my edition the subtitle is not the same as in the Bantam Edition. Having won the book, there is no requirement to write a review, but it is polite. Unfortunately, I cannot rate it as more than a 3-star read.

The secret to writing popular science books is the balance of the technical. In Stephen Hawking’s very successful A Brief History of Time he famously related how he was advised to avoid any mathematical equations. In fact, he only included 1, E=MC^2. Dr. Lyman clearly loves his profession, Dermatology and his enthusiasm is infectious, however he presumes that his reader is as deeply interested the medical terminology and the exact biology of the various infestations, and infections and their various immune system responses, or treatments.

By detailing the many animals, and single cell biological that inhabit our skin and the viruses that invade its cells the book is educational but also carries something of a yuk factor. In one chapter he speaks of the tendency most human have to shiver at the suggestion that some of the crawly things we may be hosting. He is likely right that a reader may be creeped out at these passages. A neat memory aid is that viruses operate inside of cells, everything else operates outside of them.

The remarkable life of the Skin is not a bad book. When asking us to think about how we relate to other people, other races and other cultures, he can be convincing. There are counter arguments to be made, but mostly he is asking that we be more accepting of others. A message we would be well to take to heart. He cautions, repeatedly that there is no such thing as a “Healthy Tan”. Also advise worth remembering.

There 212 pages of text plus another 50 of Glossary and References. It can be read in a few hours, easily spread across a few days. When not mired in the Latin and the technical recitations it can be an easy and instructive read. For a general reader the technical portions can be too long and too thick. For a more trained reader it may be too shallow and preachy.

[David Wineberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone now recognizes the skin is the largest organ of the human body, meriting far more respect than it has been given - ever. Many don't know how it is structured or how it works. Just like the universe being extraordinarily complex in its bigness, the skin is extraordinarily complex at the microscopic level. There is an astonishing amount of activity that goes into making everything quiet and unassuming, so that people don't have to even think about their skin. Monty Lyman has pulled a huge amount of data into a book appropriately called The Remarkable Life of the Skin.

Human skin is not some waterproof plastic wrap for organs. Its sealing properties are made by 14-sided structures (tetradecahedrons) than fit together tightly enough to keep out bacteria and liquids, yet allow for sweating and hair growth from the inside out. The tetradecahedrons are made of keratin, the same stuff of finger nails and rhinoceros horns.

The top layer (epidermis) is less than a millimeter thick. It is supported by two other layers that refresh and maintain it, since it alone faces the cruel outside world. It turns over every 30-40 days, constantly flaking away month-old skin. One of those other layers is lipid-rich, helping give us flexibility, stretchability and recovery from contact. It is also responsible for cellulite. That layer in women consists of fatty columns, which push their way outward as women age and skin thins. In men, the same layer crisscrosses instead, so while most women develop some degree of cellulite, few men do.

From our twenties, we begin to lose one percent of our skin collagen every year. After 40, this accelerates. Different skin colors age slower or faster, better or worse. White Caucasian skin ages worst of all.

There is a fascinating section on touch, and how it works. Humans can feel things as small as a micrometre (.001mm) in a microsecond from the time of contact. But that's a stat just for show. There are actually four mechanoreceptors, each contributing their specialty in touch. Merkel cells are responsible for detecting contact and relaying the fact instantly. Mesissner corpuscles detect slippage in movement of micrometres, and automatically grip the object we're holding differently, so it does not slip away. Pacini corpuscles detect pressure and vibration, making tools extensions of our fingers, applying just the right response for whatever we're doing. Not overgripping or moving too fast or too far, for example. Ruffini endings detect horizontal stretching, guiding finger movements of whatever we're holding and using. Lyman uses the example of keys, which you blindly fish for in your pocket, grab, withdraw, feel edges and the head for the needed one, insert it into a lock with the proper edge up, and twist, using all four of these mechanoreceptors without missing a beat (most of the time).

Ridges on soaked fingers (and only on fingertips and toes) allow for better gripping in water, and the lack of hairs on fingers and palms combine with thicker skin and extraordinary touch sensitivity to make hands (as well as lips and genitals) superlative touch machines. And all this says nothing about the parallel system of emotional touch, the sensations of feeling a surface or another person, and far moreso with a loved one. Their signals travel a completely different network. Finally, nociceptors detect harm and respond with pain in yet another network pathway for touch.

Lyman has experienced the extremes of skin conditions all over the world, from leprosy to imaginary insects breeding under the skin (The physical manifestations of stress, in their sheer variety and intensity, are hard to overestimate), though that can be a real condition, too. He discusses a depressingly large number of diseases and conditions, as the battlelines against health and homeostasis are everywhere. That's what skin is there for. Its defenses and repair crews are remarkable, and Lyman details their playbook in easy to understand terms.

Probably the longest section involves sun damage, the three kinds of skin cancer, each one worse than the previous, and the effects or non effects of sunscreens, supplements, various foods, and good old abstinence. So while we need sunshine on skin to produce vitamin D, sunshine is always harmful. At very least, it ages skin prematurely. At worst, it can set off processes like cancer that can be fatal. And once again, White Caucasian skin fares worst of all.

Another kind of skin abuse is tattooing. Lyman shows it goes back to man's beginnings, has been a feature or requirement of many religions, and if it didn't kill you, was a badge of honor and beauty. He describes the modern process as trapping the disease fighters of the body as they come to fight off the invasion. He calls tattoos infinite infection, as no movement can take place in the standstill between the ink and the repair crew. The ink remains despite the skin's best efforts, stymied and frozen in place.

The only useless part of the book is Lyman's examination of how skin references pop up in clichés and cultural references. At least he didn't go into jokes, song lyrics and politics. The Ancient Greek derivations of words about skin have no importance in learning how it works and why. But for the most part, The Remarkable Life of the Skin is a very useful, informative and edifying read that puts myths in their place and gets real data into our ever-hardworking hands.

David Wineberg

[Mehtap exotiquetv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Hälfte des Staubs in Wohnungen, besteht aus Hautschüppchen. In einer immensen Geschwindigkeit regeneriert sich unsere Haut - das größte Organ unseres Körpers. Es ist ein Biotop für sämtliche Mikroorganismen aber auch ein Indikator für psychische aber auch physische Krankheiten.
Dieses Buch klärt über viele Bereiche der menschlichen Haut auf. Von der Funktionsweise, ihren unterschiedlichen Hautschichten bis zur sozialen Rolle des Menschen und wie sie im Zusammenhang zur Sonne steht. Gleichzeitig räumt sie mit Mythen.

Ein tolles Buch und must-read für jeden.

[Camelia Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what phrases such as: skin-deep, saving one's skin, being comfortable in your own skin, get into/under/out of one's skin, have to do with skin? Well, Dr. Lyman has. Dr. Lyman, as a dermatologist, is well-suited to write a book about skin. The Remarkable Life of the Skin is a not only about the possible medical conditions of our skin, but also the cultural, historical, aesthetic, even spiritual aspects of the human skin.

A *healthy tan doesn't exist. To get or not to get a tatto? That's the question. Sun creams are the best anti-aging creams ever invented. An entertaining enough book.

[Bookish Dervish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly how a book (aiming at popularising science) should be.
here is what sticks to my mind:
#people tend to act upon knowing their looks is at risk more than they do knowing their life is compromised====> smoking shortens one's life VS smoking may hasten the aging process of you skin
#Although essential, The Sun is the most dangerous factor that affects our skin
#the average skin surface of a healthy adult is 1.5 up to 2 square meters.
#The skin communicates with our intestine, immune system, the forgotten organ and our brain.
# Psoriasis, Eczema, jaundice, Ichthyosis, albinism, moles... are all addressed in this book though not as I expected. I was hoping I could come up with a final magical potion to treat my case of psoriasis but ....
#clinically proven, dermatologically tested these two labels can be, and are very often misleading.
wait.... did Monty Lyman said we should apply sunscreen? I think I will pass that at all costs. in my culture, only women use sunscreen. Men should NOT. I will adhere to traditions here.

All in all, this book falls in the category of books which stick with you for a while. You can't help but bring it up in every discussion you have. highly recommended.

[Ashlee Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who would've thought that a book about the largest organ in the human body would prove itself to be so much more than "skin deep?" Who would've guessed it would be so much more than some science-y regurgitation that puts readers to sleep with its unpronounceable physiology and dermatology?

Not me, that's who.

In fact, I found myself pleasantly surprised by how broadly Lyman contextualized skin and our understanding of it. The author accomplishes this by outlining the ways in which it functions - how sweat forms, why cellulite exists, that sort of thing. He also breaks down the physical, emotional, and erotic responses it can elicit, points out societal and historical stigmas it's left behind, and highlights how things like skin color or disease can help shape perceptions of ourselves as well as the world around us. There's even an argument made for skin being a large part of what makes us human even though discourse around consciousness/the brain is widely accepted, or much more en vogue, so to speak.

(Still don't buy it, huh? Read this first then get back to me.)

I personally thought the sections about microorganisms and touch were fascinating. I never would've known that vaginal vs. c-section births can contribute to our microbiome so minutely, for instance, that the former type can protect us against allergy development later in life. (Like, whaaat? Can I sue?) Just like I had no idea the mere expectation of a loving caress "temporarily changes the composition of the skin" to receive pleasure. I mean, we all know how lovely, how tantalizing, a caress can feel but who knew it changed the skin's physical makeup in anticipation of receiving it? (Again, not me.)

The case for skin's "remarkableness" is more than argued in these pages. It's made.

There's a lot to unpack here about this woefully overlooked, complex, versatile, outermost organ but it's worth it! Take the time to "scratch beneath the surface" a little and I promise you won't be sorry.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the beginning of this book better than the later chapters. Chapters 2 and 3 were my favorite.

Here's some of my notes:
1. The skin benefits from sleep (Page 10). I think we all know that but it's worth remembering.
2. Our skin is crawling with organisms that can cause many conditions such as acne (Page 26). Since our skin microbiome is likely linked to our gut microbiome, this means that what you eat could have an effect on your skin.
2. When we start living in close quarters with someone, we also begin to share their microbiome (Page 40). Especially on the feet...
3. Lack of exposure to bacteria in early life may impair the normal development of the immune system (Page 41). This leads to allergies.
4. Lycopene, a carotenoid found in tomatoes, appears to halve the rate of skin cancer risk in mice (Page 51).
5. Probiotics containing Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria improved eczema symptoms in children (Page 63).
6. Because every person has a unique microbiome, it's difficult to figure out which parts of a diet affect the skin (Page 65). That makes it hard to do studies.
7. Stress affects the skin (Page 66).

I take issue with The American Academy of Dermatology's recommendation that we "don't seek the sun". I live in Michigan and if the sun happens to be shining, especially in winter, I go out and roll up my sleeves for the express purpose of getting sun on my skin. I get why they give that advice, their goal being to protect people from skin cancer, and this may indeed be good advice for anyone pre-disposed to skin cancer. Still, our lives are regulated by the sun and I believe it's good and healthy to accept it and just feel better instead of hiding from something that may never happen to you. My Vitamin D levels are at better levels and I just all around feel good when I turn my face toward the sun for a few minutes every day.

If you don't have time for the entire book, I recommend the first few chapters. The audio book was also good.

[Sharanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely 5 stars! Best book of the year so far!

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book about an organ most of us don't think of as an organ, because it's on the outside of our body. I learned a lot, like the majority of dust in a person's house is actually skin (eww). I'm thankful for Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

[Carmel Hanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you want to know about skin, and some you don't! A fascinating, sometimes kind of icky, discussion of how our skin operates, what goes wrong and right with it, and how it is connected to the rest of us.

This book covers unusual genetic conditions, illnesses, skin reactions, allergies, eating as it relates to skin, and the skin-mind connections to skin health. It was informative and easy to understand. Who knew there were people who are so sensitive to light that they can only come out in darkness to play? Who knew burn victims have to have water supplied through IV's to replenish what is evaporating through skin loss in order to protect the rest of the body? Who knew that your mind can be tricked into thinking you feel something you aren't actually touching?

As our largest "organ", the role of skin in our lives plays a part in our socialization and the development of intimacy between people; through what color it is to what might appear on it that cause people to reject each other or themselves to the contact babies need to bond and thrive. It was a fascinating listen on audible.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction> science, biology
A very informative read. I've long known that the skin is the largest organ--but I really didn't know much about how it works. I also liked that Lyman discussed cultural practices and the influence of skin on idioms/phrases. We start off learning what the basic function of the skin is, then move on to learn its world and layers, then how the skin is connected to the gut, how light/UV interacts with the skin, how ageing happens specifically for our skin, how the sense of touch differs from smell/see/hear and is arguably the most important of the senses, then we move on to how it effects our mental well being, how skin is viewed culturally and in different places/times, how skin as been used to separate us into races, and, finally, how skin is viewed in various religions.
I learned so much from reading this. I realize I had heard about Lepers and scabies but never really understood what those were. I have not given much thought to how prior generations handled cleaning their skin in the midst of so much dirt, grime, sweat, etc.--and no regular baths. I didn't realize the early indicators/risk factors for eczema and food allergies.
We all have skin and this is a universal manual for that organ we all take for granted to keep us safe from water and UV rays as well as hold our insides in and keep the outside out.
I recommend this to anyone who is even somewhat interested in learning more about her skin.

"A 2017 study ... found, rather remarkably, that midnight feasts could actually cause sunburn.14 If we eat late at night, our skin’s clock assumes that it must be dinner time and consequently pushes back the activation of the morning-UV-protection genes, leaving us more exposed the next day."

"The network of blood vessels in the skin is eleven miles long..."

"Why cellulite appears in 90 per cent of women and only 10 per cent of men is all down to the architecture of the hypodermis."

"seborrheic dermatitis. This strange-sounding condition is actually very common, characterized by itchy, red and flaky skin around the nose and eyebrows and dandruff on the scalp. It’s often mistaken for eczema but needs to be treated differently, usually with antifungals, to remove the Malassezia."

"In fact, eczema is the greatest risk factor for food allergy in infants, and the skin condition usually precedes food allergy."

"A team from the University of Western Australia even calculated that about ten trillionths of a suntan comes from stars found in other galaxies..."

"Sun exposure damages both our health and our looks; it is actually a more significant cause of accelerated skin ageing than all other causes combined."

"20 per cent of beachgoers show signs of sun dependence that would satisfy the symptom criteria for addiction and substance abuse."

"When exposed to sunlight, the cholesterol compounds in the oil are converted to vitamin D. But it can now only enter the animal’s body orally, and so this is one of the reasons for your pet’s constant hair-licking." (humans can absorb Vit D through the sunlight but pets have hair so this is how they get it!!)

"UVA is also able to penetrate glass, while UVB cannot, so while you’re unlikely to get sunburn through a window, the skin-ageing effect continues as long as you are exposed to sunlight. It is not uncommon for elderly truckers traversing the American Midwest to have one side of their face drooping and wrinkled, while the other half looks two decades younger."

"You can use the most expensive anti-ageing creams and see a dermatologist once a week, but a poor diet will always show through your skin."

"Interestingly, surgeons have discovered that when a local anesthetic is applied around the area to be amputated (as well as the patient being administered a general anesthetic), the incidence of phantom limb pain is dramatically reduced. This suggests that the body forms ‘pain memories’ during the amputation in a similar way to the formation of memories in the brain."

"From obsessive skin-picking (dermatillomania) to the Maasai boy’s dermatitis artefacta, [psychiatric conditions that manifest themselves in the skin] are more uncommon than 1 and 2, and often more unusual, but they can be devastating."

"it’s possible that you feel a warm, pleasurable wave of chills run up the skin of your spine, sending a shiver of goosebumps over your neck, face and arms. If so, you are in the two thirds of people who experience frisson, or ‘aesthetic shiver’."

"So if you sport a tattoo, spare a thought for the little fellows who went into battle thinking they were fighting an infection but were instead fated to spend the rest of their days embedded in your skin-based art." ... "Research conducted at the University of Heidelberg in Germany found that the act of tattooing is actually more effective at generating an immune response to DNA vaccine than some conventional adjuvant molecules."

"Rough approximations suggest the number of albinos abducted and killed since 2000 to be in the low hundreds..."

[tinaathena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovingly written, very fascinating, and thoughtful. My interest wained around two thirds through, which I realize of a recurring theme in non fiction books (especially science) but the chapter in Social Skin got me right back in. Felt like each chapter could be its own book, though I think it's good that it wasn't. While some info is relevant to it, not going to satisfy people out for skincare tips. (But the skincare takeaways: Stay out of the sun, don't smoke, don't drink alcohol)

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Learned a lot about our skin!
Very interesting bits. Some really scary and itchy to read!

Recommended for anyone interested in human function (that sounded like a Mark Zuckerberg sentence, lol)

3.7/5

[Anda Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foarte interesanta si accesibila.

Ce mi-ar fi placut, poate o traducere mai buna. Fiind in domeniu, si chiar pasionata de piele (skincare) si protectia solara, m-au zgariat pe creier anumiti termeni tradusi "corect", dar nu in context.
Altfel o carte foarte faina, bine documentata, si chiar stiintifica, nu primesc prea des 5 stele de la mine cartile in general, si cred ca are si o valoare mai ales pentru cititorul neinformat si care inca crede in "bronzul sanatos".

[Edgar Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much we do not know about our biggest organ. This book is a marvelous story about the wonders of our skin. It is packed with facts and anecdotes. Truly a gem.

[Esma · Rating 5 out of 5]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*5 stars*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Oh my goodness, this was so good! I just randomly picked this book up at my local library, and now I'm fascinated by how complex our skin is. I realized just how much I have underestimated its impact on our lives. Like so many other things, we take it for granted.

I loved how it started uncovering the biological composition of our skin, the sacrifices our keratinocytes make every day to form the outermost layer of our body, the diverse microbiome of our skin, and how the sun is both dangerous and healing. Then it moves to talk about how our skin confronts us with our mortality, the cultural repercussions of that, and explores how our skin is also a psychological, social, and spiritual organ.

"... the more we look, the more we see that what is found at our periphery is actually the centre of what it is to be human." You truly realize the weight of this sentence once you finish this book!!

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omg I can not finish this. I am a little more informed about skin and I'm not 100% sure I want to be now.