IV skin

There are so many synonyms for skin,
Like coating, crust, integument, and case.
Film, hide, pelt, rind, I shudder to be in,
And little better bark or carapace.
This epidermis bearing wind and rain,
And depredations of the make-up brush,
The kiss of sun, the salt of sweat and pain,
Deserves some words that sound a bit more lush.
It runs the rounds from hull to slim parchment,
Or cutis, dermis, peel, surface and rind,
It's thick as stone, or thin as filament,
It breathes in touch, vibration, sense refined.
Though now aglow beneath your fingertips,
It's just illuminated toes to lips.