Page 11 -- THE LAYERS OF THE SKIN
World of Skin Care Information - Table of Contents Introduction to World of Skin Care Information The 3 Skin layers: epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat Skin care myths: cucumbers on eyes; skin cells and skin repair during sleep Skin Functions World of Skin Care Information Index

healthy flushed skin
In young healthy skin a rise in external temperature, or hot food,
brings a flow of blood to the many blood vessels in the checks.

    In most areas of the body the epidermis is only 35-50 micrometres thick. (A micrometre is one-millionth of a metre - one-thousandth of a millimetre.) On the palms and the soles it is usually much thicker, up to several millimetres. In the area around the eye it is only about 20 micrometres thick. This helps to explain why the skin around the eye is so very sensitive: irritating substances have to penetrate the epidermis before they can affect the underlying skin, so the thinner the epidermis the less resistant to irritants it will tend to be.
    The epidermis around the eye is not only very thin, it also contains many blood vessels; so therefore the dermal/blood vessels below show through the epidermis. Dark undereye 'circles' or dark shadows under the eyes are possibly due to slow blood flow and the resulting build-up of lymph. This may also account for puffy eyes' "morning after" look.
World of Skin Care Information - Table of Contents Introduction to World of Skin Care Information The 3 Skin layers: epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat Skin care myths: cucumbers on eyes, regenerating skin cells Skin Functions World of Skin Care Information Index