The skin is our largest organ. One of its primary functions, of course, is to protect our insides from the dangers outside.

It also detects heat and cold, helps to regulate our internal temperature, and allows us to sense touch.

Despite its huge size, scientists do not often consider the skin's role in chronic disease.

However, a group of researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), are bucking the trend. They are focused intently on understanding the role of skin in age-related chronic disease.

As people age, levels of inflammation in their bodies steadily increase. Scientists refer to this as inflammaging. Cytokines are important drivers of this inflammation, and the scientists involved in the current study want to understand whether the skin might be involved.

Inflammaging and the skin

Scientists have already outlined a relationship between inflammation and a range of conditions, including type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and osteoporosis.

In the past, scientists thought that the immune system or the liver drove inflammaging. However, according to a new study that the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology recently published, the skin might play a significant role, too.

Dr. Man, who is a research scientist in the Department of Dermatology at UCSF, continued, "Once we get old, we have dermatological symptoms like itchiness, dryness, and changes in acidity. It could be that the skin has very minor inflammation, and because it's such a large organ, it elevates circulating cytokine levels."

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