What does our skin tell us about ourselves? – Dr Monty Lyman

The largest organ in the body isn’t the lungs or the brain, but the skin. Our skin performs a vast array of functions for us, from protecting us from disease to helping us make friends.

Dr Monty Lyman, author of The Remarkable Life of The Skin (£20, Bantam Press), calls skin the ‘Swiss Army Organ’ because of all the tasks it carries out.

Monty talks to BBC Science Focus Online assistant Sara Rigby about what the skin is for, why vanity is good for you, and what kind of creatures inhabit our skin.

We now have more than 75 episodes of the Science Focus Podcast, each of which is still well worth a listen. Here are a few that you might find interesting:

Is an implantable electronic device the future of medicine? – Gordon WallaceWhat is your brain doing while you sleep? – Dr Guy LeschzinerIs the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk? – Professor Catharina SvanborgIs gene editing inspiring or terrifying? – Nessa CareyCan we slow down the ageing process? – Sue ArmstrongIs body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa Diedrichs

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