icu i s s u e s & a n s w e r s 2 Pulse Oximeter: A small probe attached to the finger, nose, or ear that helps monitor the oxygen in the blood and the patientâs pulse.
In this Article. Your skin is the largest organ of your body, made up of several different components, including water, protein, lipids, and different minerals and chemicals. Its job is crucial: to protect you from infections and other environmental assaults. The skin also contains nerves that sense cold, heat, pain, pressure, and touch.
Your skin is composed of several layers. The layer you can see is called the epidermis. It's composed of cells made of keratin, a hard substance that also forms your hair and nails.In other species, keratin forms hooves, claws, horns, and even the shells of turtles and the spines of porcupines.f you're wondering exactly how many skin cells fall off, get ready for some staggering numbers. Scientists estimate that the human body is made up of around 10 trillion cells in total. Your skin makes up about 16 percent of your body weight, which means you have roughly 1.6 trillion skin cells [source: BBC ].