Erosion
Erosion is a term that has meaning in several different disciplines, e.g. geography.
In terms of medicine, the term 'erosion' refers to the 'eating away' of surface tissue - by chemical or physical processes, such as due to inflammation. In purely physical terms, 'erosion' can also be defined as a loss of epidermis above the basal layer, leaving denuded surface.
Erosion of the skin is a superficial form of ulceration and usually heals quite readily. Another medical use of the term 'erosion' is concerned with loss of surface tooth substance in dentistry.
Erosion is included in this section because it is a type of skin lesion. Study of skin lesions is required as part of many courses in aspects of health and holistic therapies, especially bodywork therapies.
See also types of skin lesions (all on one page). This may interest students of massage, reflexology, holistic treatments of various types, beauty therapies, and other health related courses.
Further information about skin includes the structure of skin (with diagram), an explanation of what dermatology means and includes and textbooks about dermatology.
