The skin cells that the human body sheds can actually reduce air pollution.

Human skin expands quickly. extremely quickly. Up to 5 billion skin cells (that's nine zeros!) can be lost in a 24-hour period, or 200 million each hour. Your skin's top layer, the epidermis, is constantly producing new skin cells to replace those that have been lost. In actuality, these new skin cells are produced by 95% of the epidermis's cells. The skin's colour is produced by the remaining 5% of cells, melanin.

These dead skin cells can be helpful and are a substantial source of household dust, according to the American Chemical Society. Your skin oils, including cholesterol and squalene, are carried off with your dead skin cells when they fall off and gather in the corners of your house and workplace. According to studies, squalene can lower ozone levels, a dangerous pollutant that aggravates asthma symptoms by irritating your eyes, nose, and throat. In actuality, the squalene in settled dust can lower indoor ozone levels by up to 15%, hence reducing indoor pollution levels.

Have you ever questioned how we can lose so many skin cells daily without your skin's barrier of protection being compromised? It's not just you! According to a 2016 study from Imperial College London, our skin cells' distinctive tetrakaidecahedron form—a 14-sided, 3D shape with six rectangular and eight hexagonal sides—allows them to maintain a protective barrier. Skin cells can tightly bind with the skin cells around them thanks to their shape. The research also revealed that epidermal cells produce a protein that serves as temporary cement to bind cells together in structures known as "tight junctions," or adhesions. Your skin is able to maintain its integrity despite being thin because to the distinct cell shape and this "glue."