Transcript THE LANGUAGE OF DERMATOLOGY

THE LANGUAGE OF DERMATOLOGY
Prepared by :
SIG, Dermatology Nursing,
IADVL
Why learn the language of dermatology ?
 Nurses play a very important part in patient care
 The dialogue between doctor and patient has to be
clear and well understood
 In order to report any observations, the nurse must
speak the language used in dermatology which is also
used by the dermatologists
CATEGORIES of TERMINOLOGY
• General terms
• Terms used to describe distribution
• Terms used to describe patterns
GENERAL TERMS
Cutaneous : related to the skin
Pruritus : used to describe the sensation of itching or an
irritating sensation that causes the person to scratch
 Most common dermatological complaint
 Usually represents inflammation
 Can be a manifestation of something simple like dry skin or
more serious systemic diseases like carcinomas
 Time relationship can be a clue to disease ( nocturnal in
scabies; transient in urticaria; constant in systemic diseases )
 Excoriation marks and shiny nails might be a clue to its
severity
Lesion : An area of altered skin texture, colour or elevation
which is surrounded by normal skin
• May be a papule, macule, nodule, plaque, patch etc.
• May be one or many
• May change over time
• Type of lesion is a very good indicator of possible diagnosis
Lesion around the mouth
Lesion on the foot
Lesion on the neck
Rash : A collection of many lesions
• May involve any body part
• May be long standing or last a short while
• May be itchy or non itchy
• May be bilateral or unilateral
• If bilateral, symmetrical vs asymmetrical
• May change over time
Rash on the neck
Rash on the ‘V’ of the neck
Rash on the back
Dermatome : Area of skin supplied by a cutaneous
nerve on one side of the body
• Important in some conditions like Herpes Zoster and
some birth marks
Herpes Zoster along a dermatome
Naevus along a dermatome
Erythema :
•
Redness of the skin caused by dilatation of blood vessels
Purpura :
Red or purple colour due to bleeding into the skin. It does
not become pale on pressure
•
• Pin point purpura = petechiae
• Large bruise like patches = ecchymosis
Petechiae
Ecchymosis
Erythroderma :
•
Generalized redness of the skin associated with scaling
• May be acute or chronic
• May be the result of worsening of psoriasis or eczemas
• May cause loss of proteins due to extensive shedding of scales
Thick scales in Erythroderma
Fine scales in Erythroderma
Exfoliation :
Separation of the outermost dead layer of the
skin from the underlying layers
•
• This may be in the form of scales or sheets
Fissure :
•
A linear gap or slit in the skin surface
• Due to thickened, rigid outer layer of the skin
splitting due to excessive dryness
• If unusually large and deep, may be due to
anesthetic limb in leprosy
Fissured feet
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE DISTRIBUTION
( The pattern of spread of lesions)
•
Generalized : all over the body
• Widespread : involving large areas or extensive
• Localized : Restricted to one/ some area or the body
• Flexural : Body folds like groin, neck, behind ears, popliteal and
antecubital fossa
Generalized
Localized (to palms)
Flexural
COMMONLY USED TERMS
•
Extensor : knees, elbows, shins
• Pressure areas : Sacrum, buttocks, ankles, heels
• Symmetrical : similar distribution on both sides of the
midline
• Asymmetrical : dissimilar distribution on both sides of the
midline
• Photosensitive : over areas exposed to the sun
• Acral : pertaining to peripheral parts
Extensor
Symmetrical
Asymmetrical
Photosensitive
Acral
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE CONFIGURATION
( Pattern or shape of grouped lesions)
• Discrete : individual lesions separated from each other
• Confluent : Lesions merging together
• Linear : In a line
• Annular : Like a circle or a ring
• Target : Group of rings inside each other ( concentric)
• Discoid/ Nummular : Like a coin
Discrete
Confluent
Linear
Annular
Target lesions
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE
CHANGES IN SKIN COLOUR
• Hypopigmentation : areas of paler skin
• Depigmentation : white skin due to absence of melanin
• Hyperpigmentation : Darker skin which may be due to
various causes
• Erythema/ Purpura : As previously described
Hypopigmentation
Depigmentation
Hyperpigmentation
THANK YOU