Skin is the largest organ in the body, protecting it from external elements. Skin consists of many layers, made of water, protein, fats and minerals. You have three main skin layers—epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis (subcutaneous tissue). Each performs a specific function to protect you and keep you healthy. Skin can vary greatly between species, and even between individual people! Here we will discuss the structure of human skin, the proper care of different skin types found among humans, and functions of skin throughout the animal kingdom. We’ll even talk about some functions our own skin performs that we may not know about! Functions of the Skin Skin can serve many different functions which are beneficial to the organism. These include: Protection from the environment This is the most ... Throughout the body, skin is composed of three layers; the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. We shall now examine these layers in more detail. The skin is comprised of three main layers; epidermis, dermis and hypodermis.