Dermatology Vocabulary

Question 1

What does flexural mean?

Answer 1

Affects skin in joint bends

Question 2

What does extensor mean?

Answer 2

Affects knees, elbows and shins

Question 3

What does intertriginous mean?

Answer 3

Affects skin folds

Question 4

What are the pressure areas?

Answer 4

Sacrum
Buttocks
Ankles
Heels

Question 5

What does photosensitive mean?

Answer 5

Affects sun-exposed areas e.g. face, neck and back of hands

Question 6

What does dermatomal mean?

Answer 6

Affects area of skin supplied by single spinal nerve

Question 7

What does discrete mean?

Answer 7

Individual lesions separated from each other

Question 8

What does confluent mean?

Answer 8

Individual lesions margining into each other

Question 9

What does linear mean?

Answer 9

In a line

Question 10

What does targetoid mean?

Answer 10

Concentric rings (like a dartboard)

Question 11

What does annular mean?

Answer 11

Circle or ring with a different morphology on edges vs inner of lesion

Question 12

What does discoid/nummular mean ?

Answer 12

Round lesion

Question 13

What does macule mean?

Answer 13

Flat area of altered colour <1cm in diameter

Question 14

What does patch mean?

Answer 14

Flat area of altered colour or texture >1cm in diameter

Question 15

What does papule mean?

Answer 15

Small, raised lesion <1cm in diameter

Question 16

What does nodule mean?

Answer 16

Solid, raised lesion >1cm in diameter with a deeper component

Question 17

What does plaque mean?

Answer 17

Palpable, raised lesion >1cm in diameter

Question 18

What does vesicle mean?

Answer 18

Small blister
Raised, clear fluid-filled lesions <1cm in diameter with

Question 19

What does Bulla mean?

Answer 19

Large blister
Raised, clear fluid filled lesion >1cm in diameter

Question 20

What does pustule mean?

Answer 20

Pus containing lesion, small and circumscribed

Question 21

What is an abscess?

Answer 21

Localised accumulation of pus on the dermis or subcutaneous tissues

Question 22

What is a wheal?

Answer 22

Transient raised lesion due to dermal oedema
Demarcated but not stable borders

Question 23

What does comedone mean?

Answer 23

Pores or hair follicles that have gotten blocked with bacteria, oil and dead skin cells to form a bump on your skin

Question 24

What does erosion mean?

Answer 24

Loss of epidermis

Question 25

What does excoriation mean?

Answer 25

Loss of epidermis following trauma

Question 26

What does lichenification mean?

Answer 26

Well defined roughening of skin with accentuation of skin markings

Question 27

What are scales?

Answer 27

Flakes of stratum corneum

Question 28

What does crust mean?

Answer 28

Rough surface consisting of dried serum, blood, bacteria and cellular debris that has exuded through an eroded epidermis

Question 29

What does ulcer mean?

Answer 29

Loss of epidermis and dermis

Question 30

What is a fissure?

Answer 30

Epidermal crack through to dermis

Question 31

What does striae mean?

Answer 31

Linear areas white progress from pink to white

Question 32

What is a scar?

Answer 32

New fibrous tissue which occurs post-wound healing

Question 33

What is Koebner phenomenon?

Answer 33

A linear eruption arising at site of trauma

Question 34

What does erythema mean?

Answer 34

Redness (inflammation and vasodilation) which blanches on pressure

Question 35

What is petechiae?

Answer 35

Red or purple colour (bleeding into skin or mucous membrane) which doesn’t blanch on pressure 1-2mm diameter

Question 36

What is purpura?

Answer 36

Red or purple colour (bleeding into skin or mucous membrane) which doesn’t blanch on pressure 2-10mm diameter

Question 37

What does ecchymoses mean?

Answer 37

Red or purple colour (non-traumatic bleeding into skin or mucous membrane) which doesn’t blanch on pressure >10mm diameter (bruise)

Question 38

What does hypopigmented mean?

Answer 38

Loss of skin colour

Question 39

What does depigmentation mean?

Answer 39

Paler skin due to absence of melanin

Question 40

What does hyperpigmented mean?

Answer 40

Increase in skin colour

Question 41

What is Vitiligo?

Answer 41

Autoimmune attack on melanocytes, usually localised, symmetrical areas, associated with thyroid disease and t1dm

Question 42

What is alopecia?

Answer 42

Attack on hair follicles causing hair loss

Question 43

What is hirsuitism?

Answer 43

Androgen dependant hair growth in a female

Question 44

What is hypertrichosis?

Answer 44

Non androgen dependant pattern of excessive hair growth

Question 45

What is clubbing?

Answer 45

Loss of angle between the posterior nail fold and nail plate

Question 46

What is koilonychia?

Answer 46

Spoon shaped depression of the nail plate

Question 47

What is oncholysis?

Answer 47

Separation of the distal end of the nail plate from nail bed

Question 48

What is pitting?

Answer 48

Punctate depression of the nail plate