How often do you think about your skin? Its biology, its cultural signifiers, its protective qualities and weaknesses? It’s the largest organ in our body (although this book taught me this is up for debate with some experts arguing for the mucosal lining of the small intestines instead – will Mucosa Es Su Casa be next on the nonfiction publishing block?), it’s the focus of a multi-billion-dollar industry, and with two in every three Australians diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70, skin is also a serious consideration in our country’s public health landscape.

Phillipa McGuinness is fascinated by skin, and has chosen the intimidating task of tackling this subject that seems to yield an almost limitless choice of avenues for interrogation. Over 12 chapters, McGuinness takes readers through a crash course on skin, from its biological features (you’ll come away from this knowing your keratinocytes from your melanocytes, your stratum basale from your stratum granulosum) to a short history of the field of dermatology, to an interrogation of skin, race and genetics, to her own experience with basal cell cancers and the development of Australia’s Sun-Smart campaign. There are also chapters on various skin conditions, the global skincare industry, how skin facilitates touch, the culture and history of tattoos and more.

It’s a lot to pack into 300 pages, and at times I felt myself wishing McGuinness would (forgive the pun) flesh out certain chapters and ideas in more detail. Overall, however, McGuinness is a confident, conversational guide, pulling research and references from interviews, historical records, personal experiences and social media, and threading them into an easy- to-follow narrative that will have you filing various things away for cocktail chatter with friends. Skin Deep is a welcome take on an all-too-frequently overlooked subject.

Jackie tang is the editor of Readings Monthly.