The skin is the largest organ in the female body, as it is in all humans.
Understanding the Skin's Importance
The skin, with a surface area of approximately two square meters in the average adult, accounts for about 15 percent of body weight. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] It's a crucial organ with multiple functions, including:
- Protection: Acting as a barrier against external threats like bacteria and UV radiation.
- Regulation: Controlling body temperature and fluid balance.
- Sensation: Providing touch, pressure, temperature, and pain sensations.
- Synthesis: Producing vitamin D.
While other organs, like the liver [10] and uterus [8], are large and vital, they are significantly smaller than the skin's total surface area and mass. The claim that fascia is the largest organ [9] is currently a subject of ongoing scientific discussion and is not widely accepted as the consensus. The femur is the longest bone [6], and the aorta and inferior vena cava are the largest artery and vein respectively [6], but organs are defined differently than bone, artery, or veins.
It is important to note that the internal organs vary in size depending on the individual's age, health, and body composition.
References:
[1] Your skin is by far the largest organ of your body. With a surface area of approximately two metres on the average adult and accounting for some 15 percent of your bodyweight, your skin is by far the largest organ of your body. And it is a serious multitasker.
[2] http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/skin (Snippet: The skin is the largest organ of the human body.)
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470464/ (Snippet: The skin is the largest organ in the body, covering its entire external surface.)
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21087182/ (Snippet: The skin is the body's largest organ.)
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279255/ (Snippet: But it is still our heaviest and largest organ, making up about one seventh of our body weight)
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_body_part
[8] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22467-uterus
[9] https://fasciaguide.com/research/fascia-is-the-largest-organ-in-the-body/
[10] https://medlineplus.gov/fattyliverdisease.html (Snippet: Your liver is the largest organ inside your body.)
