Describing skin lesions

Question 1

What pneumonic can be used for describing lesions?

Answer 1

Size
Colour
Associated secondary change
Morphology
Margins

Question 2

What pneumonic should be used for pigmented lesions?

Answer 2

Asymmetry
Borders- irregular?
Colours
Diameter >6mm
Evolution over time
Funny looking compared to others

Question 3

What should be done when examining a skin lesions?

Answer 3

Inspection
Description
Palpation
Systematic check

Question 4

What should be examined in a systematic check?

Answer 4

Nails
Hair
Scalp
Joints
Mucous membranes
Other systems

Question 5

What does pruritus mean?

Answer 5

Itching

Question 6

What is a lesion?

Answer 6

A region of altered skin

Question 7

What is a naevus?

Answer 7

A loclaused malformation of tissue structures- e.g. a mole

Question 8

What is a comedone?

Answer 8

A plug in a sebaceous follicle that contains altered sebum, bacteria and cellular debris,, can present as either open (black heads) or closed (white heads)

Question 9

What does generalised mean?

Answer 9

All over the body

Question 10

What does widespread mean?

Answer 10

Extensive involvement

Question 11

What does localised mean?

Answer 11

Restricted to one are of skin only

Question 12

what does flexural mean?

Answer 12

Affecting the flexure side of joints- e.g. elbow, wrist, back of knee, arm pits

Flexural means body folds

Question 13

What are the extensor surfaces?

Answer 13

Knee
Elbow
Shins

Question 14

What is a dermatome?

Answer 14

An area of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve

Question 15

What does discrete mean?

Answer 15

An isolated lesion

Question 16

What does confluent mean?

Answer 16

Lesions are merging together

Question 17

What is a target lesion?

Answer 17

Appears as concentric rings- such as in erythema multiforme

Question 18

What is annular lesion?

Answer 18

Circular or ring like

Question 19

What is a discoid lesions?

Answer 19

Circular or disc shaped

Question 20

What does erythema mean?

Answer 20

Redness- due to vasodilation and inflammation. It blanches when pressure is applied.

Question 21

What is purpura?

Answer 21

A dark red or purple area that is due to bleeding into the skin
It does not blanch on pressure.

Vasculitic diseases can cause prupura.

Question 22

What is are petechiae?

Answer 22

Small pinpoint macules due to bleeding

Question 23

What are ecchymoses?

Answer 23

Large bruise like areas of purpura

Question 24

What is a macule?

Answer 24

A flat area of altered colour e.g. freckle

Question 25

What is a patch?

Answer 25

A large flat area of altered colour- e.g. port wine stain

Question 26

What is a papule?

Answer 26

A solid raised lesion less than 0.5cm in diameter

Question 27

What is a nodule?

Answer 27

A solid raised lesion greater than 0.5mm in diameter

Question 28

What is a plaque?

Answer 28

A palpable scaling raised lesion greater than 0.5 cm in diameter

Question 29

What is a vesicle?

Answer 29

A vesicle is a small blister, fluid filled, that is less than 0.5cm in diameter

Question 30

What is a bulla?

Answer 30

A bulla is a large blister, that is filled with fluid and is greater than 0.5cm in diameter.

Question 31

What is a pustule?

Answer 31

Small pusss containing lesions less than 0.5 cm in diameter

Question 32

What is an abscess?

Answer 32

An accumulation of pus in the dermis or sub-cutaneous tissues

Question 33

What is a weal?

Answer 33

A transient raised lesion that is pinkish due to dermal oedema. Occur with urticaria.

Question 34

What is a boil/furuncle?

Answer 34

Staph infection around or within a hair follicle

Question 35

What is a carbuncle?

Answer 35

Staph infection of adjacent hair follciles

Question 36

What is an excoriation?

Answer 36

Loss of epidermis following trauma/scratching

Question 37

What are scales?

Answer 37

Flakes of stratum corneum/keratin

Question 38

What is a crust?

Answer 38

A crus is an area of dried serum, blood, bacteria, and cellular debris that has eroded through an eroded epidermis

Question 39

What is a scar?

Answer 39

New fibrous tissue which occurs post wound healing

Question 40

What is an ulcer?

Answer 40

Loss of epidermis and dermis (heals with scarring)

Question 41

What are striae?

Answer 41

Linear eares which progress from purple to pink to white Associated with excessive steroid use, glucocorticoid overproduction, growth spurts and pregnancy

Question 42

What is a fissure?

Answer 42

An epidermal crack which is often due to excess dryness

Question 43

What is alopecia?

Answer 43

Loss of hair

Question 44

What is hirsutism?

Answer 44

Androgen dependent hair growth in a female

Question 45

What is hypertrichosis?

Answer 45

Non androgen pattern of excessive hair growth (e.g. in pigmented naevi)