Utah Esthetician State Board Practice Exam

What is the role of body secretions in the skin?

1. Moisturizing the skin

2. Providing nutrients

3. Fighting bacteria

4. Protecting against UV rays

The correct answer is: Fighting bacteria

Body secretions play a crucial role in maintaining skin health and function, significantly contributing to the skin's ability to fight bacteria. The skin secretes various substances such as sweat and sebum, which contain antimicrobial properties that help create a hostile environment for pathogenic bacteria. Sweat contains lysozyme, an enzyme that breaks down bacterial cell walls, while sebum produced by sebaceous glands has antifungal and antibacterial properties. This defense mechanism is vital for preventing infections and maintaining the overall integrity of the skin barrier. While moisturizing the skin, providing nutrients, and protecting against UV rays are important functions of the skin or related processes, they primarily stem from other mechanisms. For instance, moisturizing is largely a function of external products and the skin's barrier, nutrients are provided by the blood supply rather than secretion, and UV protection primarily involves melanin produced by melanocytes rather than a direct role of secretions. Therefore, the role of body secretions is most accurately linked to their ability to fight bacteria, highlighting their importance in skin health.