18 December 2023
A wrinkle here, some bumps there—as your body’s biggest organ, your skin, is giving you a heads-up on how your environment is affecting your overall health. “Our skin is a window into what’s going on inside the body and its overall health,” says Anne Chapas, M.D, of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center in New York City. “It has a very active immune system, so while it’s defending us against illnesses and damage, it often pays the price for that by showing certain symptoms. And unlike other organs, it’s right there for us to easily examine ourselves.” Here’s how to interpret the signals it’s sending you.