5-year-old genius Anson explains the importance of healthy hair, skin and nails

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The integumentary system is the body’s first line of defense against damage from outside elements, but you may have never even heard of it. Five-year-old genius Anson Wong took some time to explain this important system and how it works.

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What is the integumentary system?

The integumentary protects the body from the outside environment’s abrasive elements and also helps control water loss. In humans, it’s made up of the skin, hair and nails. In other animals, the integumentary system also includes other appendages like feathers, hooves and claws.

Skin

The skin is by far the biggest organ of the body. It weighs on average about 10 pounds and has a surface area of about 20 square feet. Though its only a few millimeters thick, the skin’s job is to protect the body’s inner organs from the outside elements. This includes things like bacteria and viruses.

The skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis.

The epidermis absorbs nutrients and protects. There are no blood vessels in the epidermis, as it’s the uppermost layer of the skin.

The dermis is the middle layer of skin. It’s comprised of connective tissue, which gives the skin the flexibility it needs to bend and stretch with the body. The dermis also includes the sweat glands, which excrete water and sodium chloride to help lower the body’s temperature when it gets too hot.

The hypodermis is beneath the dermis collects and stores fats, which serves as the body’s energy reserves. Stored fat also helps to insulate the body.

Hair

Hair helps to protect the body from UV radiation and helps insulate the body. Hair is made up of dead cells attached to the body by the root. There are only a few parts of the body that aren’t covered with hair, including the lips, palms of the hands and bottoms of the feet.

Nails

Nails help to protect the fingers and toes and also help improve dexterity by reinforcing the tips of the fingers. This helps humans to better grip and manipulate small objects.

Anson’s Answers features 5-year-old whiz kid Anson Wong. He has a college-level grasp on various areas of science, dreams of becoming the president and can speak multiple languages. Did you catch that he’s just 5 years old? Anson has a passion for teaching others and loves to share videos explaining the human body, the laws of physics and his ideas for the future. Grab a seat, because Professor Anson’s class is in session!

Stay in touch with Anson by following him on Facebook!

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