Variation in skin assessments - adolescents
- Secretions from apocrine sweat glands increase
- Subcutaneous fat deposits increase
- Secondary sex characteristics
Variation in skin assessment - Pregnant women
- Linea nigra: Increased pigmentation midline of abdomen
- Chloasma: Discoloration changes on face representing the
“mask of pregnancy”
- Striae gravidarum: Stretch marks, which can develop over
the abdomen, breast, and thighs
Variation in skin assessment - Aging Adult
- Elasticity: Loses elasticity; skin folds and sags
- Sweat and sebaceous glands: Decrease in number and
function, leaving skin dry
- Senile purpura: Discoloration due to increasing capillary
fragility
- Skin breakdown due to multiple factors: Cell replacement is
slower and wound healing is delayed
- Hair matrix: Functioning melanocytes decrease, leading to
gray fine hair
- Senile lentigines: Common variations of hyperpigmentation,
commonly called liver spots, small, flat, brown macules
,- Keratoses: raised, thickened areas of pigmentation that looks
crusty, scaly, and warty
- Actinic (senile) keratosis: red-tan scaly plaques that increase
over the years to become raised and roughened
- Sebaceous hyperplasia: raised yellow papules with a central
depression, more common in men
Annular or circular lesions
Begins in the center and spreads to the periphery (ex: ringworm)
Confluent lesions
skin lesions that run together
ex: urticaria (hives)
Discrete lesions
distinct, individual lesions that remain separate (skin tags, acne)
Gyrate lesions
twisted, coiled spiral, snakelike
Ex: erythema gyratum repens
Grouped lesions
clusters of lesions (contact dermatitis).
linear lesion
a scratch, streak, line, or stripe
target lesion
resembles iris of eye, concentric rings of color in lesions
,Zosteriform lesion
linear arrangement along a unilateral nerve route
polycyclic lesion
annular lesions grow together (psoriasis)
Macula
Flat less than 1 cm
ex: freckle
Papule
elevated, firm, circumscribed area less than 1 cm in diameter
ex: mole, wart
Nodule
soft, hard, or soft, more than 1 cm
ex: fibroma
Wheel
superficial, raised, slightly irregular from edema
ex: bug bite, allergic reaction
vesicle/bulla
blister, elevated, containing fluid
ex: chickenpox
Cyst
encapsulated fluid-filled
ex: sebaceous cyst
Pustule
, Turbid fluid (pus) in the cavity, elevated
ex: acne
Crusts
areas of dried pus and blood, commonly called scabs
Scale
Any thin dry or oily plate of epidermal flakes
Fissure
Narrow, slitlike opening
Erosion
Ulcer
open sore or lesion in the skin or mucous membrane
Excoriation
Skin sore or abrasion produced by scratching or scraping
Atrophic scar
resulting skin level depressed with loss of tissue; a thinning of
the epidermis
Scar
A mark on the skin that is left after a cut or other wound has
healed.
Lichenification