The Remarkable Life of the Skin
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  • Published: 31 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9781784163525
  • Imprint: Black Swan
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $22.99

The Remarkable Life of the Skin

An intimate journey across our surface

Formats & editions
EBook
11 Jul 2019
Audiobook
11 Jul 2019
Paperback
31 Mar 2020
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The Remarkable Life of the Skin is a compelling user's guide to the physical, psychological and social importance of the body's largest, most visible and yet most misunderstood organ.

- Shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2019
- A Sunday Times 'MUST READ'
- 'An exciting introduction to a little-known microscopic universe.' Sunday Times
- 'A seriously entertaining book.' Melanie Reid, The Times
- As read on RADIO 4's BOOK OF THE WEEK
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How does our diet affect our skin? What makes the skin age? And why can’t we tickle ourselves?

Providing a cover for our delicate and intricate bodies, the skin is our largest, fastest growing and yet least understood organ. We see it, touch it and live in it every day. It's a habitat for a mesmerizingly complex world of micro-organisms and physical functions that are vital to our health and our survival. It’s also one of the first things people see about us and is crucial to our sense of identity. Our skin plays a central role in our lives. And yet how much do we really know about it?

Through the lenses of science, sociology and history, Dr Monty Lyman leads us on a journey across our most underrated and unexplored organ. Examining our microbiome, our love of tattoos and whether or not beauty products really work, he reveals how the skin is far stranger and more complex than you’ve ever imagined.
  • Published: 31 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9781784163525
  • Imprint: Black Swan
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $22.99
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About the author

Monty Lyman

Dr Monty Lyman travelled the globe to research The Remarkable Life of the Skin, including Africa, South Asia and Australasia. He studied at the universities of Oxford, Birmingham and Imperial College London. He has worked in a world-leading dermatology laboratory, been the national head of undergraduate and junior doctor dermatology in the UK, has won several national prizes in dermatology and medical writing and has given many talks at national conferences. In 2017 he won the Wilfred Thesiger Travel Writing Award for his report on a dermatological research trip to Tanzania. He lives in Oxford, England.

portrait photo of Monty Lyman

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Praise for The Remarkable Life of the Skin

An extraordinary insight into the fascinating world of the skin, explaining how it both protects and connects us... [the book] delves into the science behind the skin’s microbiome and explores the history of anti-aging treatments. A must read for all of those curious about why our skin is the first to show our emotions, and how it has the power to both divide and unite communities around the world.

Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College, London

This microsopic look at skin is crawling with revelations, from tiny mites to cellulite and skin care... An exciting introduction to a little-known universe and to a talented new writer.

Sunday Times

Fascinating ... takes us beneath the surface of our largest and least-known organ.

Daily Express

Lyman peels back the science on human skin in this absorbing, fact-packed study.

Nature

A seriously entertaining book... Here are things you wish you'd known about the skin years ago... Clever, optimistic.

Melanie Reid, The Times

This book's a gem.

Irish Examiner

An unexpectedly great adventure.

Gillian Reynolds, Sunday Times

Imaginatively told... knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

The Spectator

Not since GCSE Biology has my reading material been so scientific. As I approach my late twenties, I've increased my skincare routine tenfold, and now I'm taking it up a notch by learning how our largest organ actually works.The Remarkable Life of the Skin will make you scratch, squirm, inspect and neglect, but what a read it is. If those aforementioned textbooks had been written by the highly entertaining Dr Monty Lyman, I might have paid more attention. Plus, no other Tube read has ever garnered so many double-takes.

Vogue

Beautifully written, revealing and surprising, this is a fascinating guide to the secret life of the skin.

Daily Mail