Question

Why is my skin white and thick and why is there a thick layer of fat underneath?

Answer 1

The skin is the largest organ of our body which covers our total body. The texture, color, body hairs, and other structural aspects of skin varies from person to person. The skin is composed of two main layers- the superficial, thinner portion, made up of epithelial tissues, known as the epidermis; and the deeper, thicker, connective tissue portion known as the dermis.

Complete answer:
The thick layer of fat and connective tissue found underneath the skin serves two important functions:
It provides a protective covering and thus protects the internal organs from shock and injuries.
It forms an insulation barrier and helps to keep our body warm and maintain body temperature.
The skin coloration is controlled by genetic factors. Three pigments- melanin, hemoglobin, and carotene are responsible for the skin coloration.
The melanin is the prime pigment responsible for pigmentation and color of the skin, ranging from pale yellow to reddish brown to black. Melanin is produced by melanocytes. The melanocytes are present plentiful in the epidermis of penis, groin regions, nipples, and areola. Because the number of melanocytes is the same in all people, differences in skin color is mainly due to the amount of pigment the melanocytes produce and transfer to the keratinocytes.
Light-skinned people basically have a skin color ranging from yellowish-white to pink to red depending on the oxygen content of the blood moving through capillaries in the dermis. The red color is due to hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying pigment in RBCs.
Carotene is a yellow-orange pigment that gives egg yolks and carrots their color. This carotene is present in the stratum corneum and fatty areas of dermis and subcutaneous regions. Excess of carotene deposition gives an orangish tincture to the skin.

Note:
Learners often get confused which is the largest organ of the body- the skin or the liver. The answer is skin. If it is asked, which is the largest internal organ of the body? Then the answer is Liver.
It is to be remembered that all the three pigments melanin, hemoglobin, and carotene occur in variable amounts and the net skin color is a product of all these three. The amount of pigmentation occurring in skin is controlled by genetic factors.