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Abscess
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An abscess is collection of pus
surrounded (walled-off) by damaged
and inflamed tissue.
An abscess can occur anywhere on the body.
An example of an abscess on the skin is
a boil - which is caused by the
bacterium staphylococcus aureus.
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Cicatrix
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The word 'cicatrix' is the medical
term for what is commonly referred
to as a 'scar'.
That is, it refers to a variety
of dermal
and epidermal
changes associated with wound
healing and resulting in fibrous
tissue replacing normal tissue
in the affected areas.
The adjective associated
with 'cicatrix' is 'cicatricial'.
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Atrophy (Skin)
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Atrophy is the wasting away of normally
developed tissue (which may be forming
an organ such as the skin) due to cell degeneration.
Atrophy of tissue can occur for various
reasons, including - for example, ageing,
disuse, or undernourishment.
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Crust
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Crust (in the context of
dermatological lesions) refers
to an accumulation of:
- serum,
- blood, and
- purulent exudate - which
is a pus-like liquid that has seeped through
the walls of intact blood vessels (usually
as a result of inflammation).
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Cyst
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A cyst is an abnormal sac or closed cavity
lined with epithelial tissue cells and
filled with liquid,
or semi-solid matter.
Different types of
cyst occur in different parts of the body. |
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Erosion
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In medicine (incl. dermatology), the
word "erosion" refers
to the eating away of surface
tissue by chemical or physical
processes, such as inflammation.
Dermatological erosion
is also defined as loss
of epidermis above the basal
(deepest) layer of the epidermis (outer-layer) of the skin, leaving denuded the outer surface of the skin.
Erosion of the skin is a superficial
form of ulceration and usually
heals quite readily. The other medical
definition of the word erosion is concerned
with the loss of surface tooth substance in dentistry. |
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Excoriations
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Excoriation is the destruction or removal
of the surface of the skin (or the tissue
covering an organ). This may be caused
by scratching, scraping, or chemicals.
In cases in which excoriation results from
the skin being scratched by the patient
due to the irritation of the skin, linear
crusts and erosions may result. (This can
happen when, for example, the patient has
scratched itching eczema or dermatitis while asleep.)
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Lesion
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Lesions are zones (areas) of tissue whose
function is impaired due to damage, usually
caused by either disease or wounding.
Secondary Lesions such as crusts and scars are derived from Primary Lesions,
such as abscesses, ulcers, and tumours.
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Lichenification
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The word 'lichenification' can
have two similar meanings in
the context of skin lesions.
It can refer to either of:
- Thickening of the epidermis
of the skin, such that the normal
creases appear to be exaggerated.
This may be caused by abnormal / excessive
scratching or rubbing of the
affected area.
- Skin that is marked by the presence
of many fine papules.
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Macule
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A macule is a flat circumscribed
area of skin of altered skin colour (relative
to other skin of the same person). Macules
are not elevated above or depressed below the
level of surrounding skin, unlike - for example, papules -
which are elevated above surrounding skin. |
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Nodule
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A nodule (on the skin) is a small swelling or aggregation of cells foming a palpable lesion of size in range 0.5 cm - 2 cm in diameter. It may be located in the epidermis,
dermis,
or subcutaneous layers of the skin.
In the cases of some skin conditions, many nodules may be present.
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Papule
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A papule is a small raised spot on the
skin that takes the form of
a solid palpable lesion of up
to
0.5 cm diameter that is
elevated
above the level of the surrounding skin.
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Plaque (Skin)
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In the context of the skin (as opposed
to its other meaning in dentistry), the
word "plaque" refers to a raised lesion
whose surface area is much larger than
its elevation above the surface of the
surrounding skin. This area is usually
formed by many papules enlarging or coalescing
to form a total area of greater than 2
cm in diameter - though the shape of the
area is not necessarily circular, it can
take any shape.
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Poikiloderma
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Poikiloderma is a condition in which skin
begins to waste away (atrophy)
and becomes
pigmented.
Poikilodremema is also defined (more technically) as a combination of atrophy, hypo- and hyper-pigmented, and telangiectasis. The result is skin of a mottled discolouration/appearance.
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Purpura
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Purpura is a type of skin rash that can be considered both as a skin condition, and also as a type of skin lesion. This form of rash results from blood seeping into the skin from small blood vessels called capillaries. The appearance of this rash consists of individual purple spots called petechiae.
Possible causes of purpura include defects
in the capillaries and/or deficiency of blood
platelets.
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Pustule
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A pustule is a small blister on the skin that contains pus.
A pustule is a type of abscess , which usually forms in the dermis or subcutis layers of the skin.
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Scale
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In the context of human dermatology the word 'scale' is used to refer to flakes of dead epidermal cells shed by the skin. More specifically, scale consists of the heaping-up of keratin in the stratum corneum of the skin.
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Scar
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The word 'scar' is commonly used to refer to a variety of dermal and epidermal changes associated with wound healing and resulting
in fibrous tissue replacing normal tissue in the affected areas.
The medical term used to refer to scarring is 'cicatrix',
or 'cicatricial' (adjective).
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Sclerosis
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Sclerosis is the hardening or 'induration'
of skin.
Common causes of sclerosis include scarring
following inflammation (which is also known
as fibrosis),
and / or ageing. Note that sclerosis is not
only a skin lesion / condition. Sclerosis can affect
different areas of the body, its effects
being determined by the area
affected and to what extent.
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Telangiectasis
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A telangiectasis (the singular noun) is
a localized group of distended
blood capillary vessels.
It appears as a red spot that
may look spidery and that blanches when
pressure is applied to the telangiectasis
directly.
(Plural: Telangiectases.)
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Ulcer
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A skin ulcer is a break in the skin
such that there is a loss of the epidermis
and
part
or all of the
dermis
of the skin,
leaving a moist depressed lesion.
There
are many types of skin ulcer. There are also
ulcers that affect other parts of the body.
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Vesicle
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A vesicle is a very small blister in the skin that contains a clear liquid called serum.
The sizes of vesicles range from less than 0.1 cm to a maximum of 0.5 cm in diameter.
Vesicles occur in several skin disorders,
including eczema and herpes.
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Wheal
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Wheals are rounded or flat-topped elevated
lesions caused by broad flares of swollen
skin containing an excessive accumulation
of fluid.
The medical term for 'swollen with an
excessive accumulation of fluid' is 'edematous', although this word is not used in all textbooks.
A 'wheal' or 'weal' is
also known as a 'hive'.
These are commonly used, i.e. non-medical, words for the feature whose medical name is know as 'urticaria' (plural).
However, 'urticaria' are the result of an allergic reaction and the
release of histamine. Although this is usually transitory, it can constitute
a medical emergency if the lips, eyes, or tongue are affected because considerable
swelling can occur. |
