Cover art for The Remarkable Life of the Skin
Published
Black Swan, March 2020
ISBN
9781784163525
Format
Softcover, 304 pages
Dimensions
19.8cm × 12.7cm × 1.8cm

The Remarkable Life of the Skin An intimate journey across our surface

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The Remarkable Life of the Skin is a compelling user's guide to the physical, psychological and social importance of the body's largest, most visible and yet most misunderstood organ.

  • Shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2019

  • A Sunday Times 'MUST READ'

  • 'An exciting introduction to a little-known microscopic universe.' Sunday Times

  • 'A seriously entertaining book.' Melanie Reid, The Times

  • As read on RADIO 4's BOOK OF THE WEEK


How does our diet affect our skin? What makes the skin age? And why can't we tickle ourselves?

            Providing a cover for our delicate and intricate bodies,  the skin is our largest, fastest growing and yet least understood organ. We see it, touch it  and live in it every day. It's a habitat for a mesmerizingly complex  world of micro-organisms and physical functions that are vital to our  health and our survival. It's also one of the first things people see  about us and is crucial to our sense of identity. Our skin plays a central role in our lives. And yet how much do we  really know about it?

Through the lenses of science, sociology and history, Dr Monty Lyman leads us on a journey across our most underrated and unexplored organ. Examining our microbiome, our love of tattoos and whether or not beauty products really work, he reveals how the skin is far stranger and more complex than you've ever imagined.

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