Integumentary System Flashcards
Adip/o, lip/o, steat/o
Fat
Derm/o, dermat/o, cutane/o
Skin
Hidr/o
Sweat
Hist/o, histi/o
Tissue
Kerat/o
Hard
Myc/o
Fungus
Onych/o
Nail
Purpur/o
Purple
Seb/o
Sebum (oil)
Trich/o
Hair
Xanth/o
Yellow
Xer/o
Dry
Epithelium
Cells covering external and internal surfaces of the body
Epidermis
Thin outer layer of skin
Squamous cell layer
Flat, scale-like epithelial cells comprising the outermost epidermis
Basal layer
Deepest layer of epidermis
Melanocyte
Cell in the basal layer that gives color to the skin
Melanin
Dark brown to black pigment contained in melanocytes
Dermis
Dense, fibrous connective tissue layer of the skin, also known as corium
Sebaceous glands
Oil glands in the skin
Sebum
Oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands
Sudoriferous glands
Sweat glands (sudor= to sweat; ferre = to bear)
Subcutaneous layer
Connective and adipose tissue layer just under the dermis
Collagen
Protein substance in skin and connective tissue (koila - glue; gen = producing)
Hair
Outgrowth of the skin composed Of keratin
Nail
Outgrowth of the skin, composed of keratin, @the end of each finger and toe
Keratin
Hard protein material found in the epidermis, hair, and nails
Lesion
An area of pathologically altered tissue; the two types of lesions are primary and secondary
Primary lesions
Lesions arising from previously normal skin
macule or macula
A flat, discolored spot on the skin up to 1 cm across (ex: freckle)
Patch
A flat, discolored area on the skin > than 1 cm (ex: vitiligo)
Papule
A solid mass on the skin up to 0.5cm in diameter ; ex: a nevus (moles)
Plaque
A solid mass > than 1 cm in diameter and limited to the surface of the skin
Nodule
A solid mass > than I cm that extends deeper into the epidermis
Tumor
A solid mass> 1-2cm
Wheal
An area of localized skin edema (swelling) (ex: a hive)
Vesicle
Little bladder ; an elevated, fluid-filled sac (blister) within or under the epidermis up to 0.5cm in diameter (ex: a fever blister)
Pustule
A pus-filled sac (ex: a pimple)
Bulla
A blister > 0.5cm(ex: a second degree burn) (bulla= bubble)
Secondary lesions
Lesions that result in changes in primary lesions
Erosion
Gnawed away; loss of superficial epidermis, leaving an area of moisture but no bleeding ex: area of moisture after rupture of a vesicle)
Ulcer
An open sore on the skin or mucous membrane that can bleed and scar; sometimes accompanied by infection, ex: decubitis ulcer
Excoriation
A scratch mark
Fissure
A linear crack in the skin
Scale
A thin flake of exfoliated epidermis (dandruff)
Crust
A dried residue of serum (body liquid), pus, or blood on the skin ex: as seen in impetigo
Vascular lesions
Lesions of a blood vessel
Cherry angioma
A small, round, bright red blood vessel tumor on the skin, often on the trunk of the elderly
Telangiectasia / spider angioma
A tiny, red blood vessel lesion formed by the dilation of a group of blood vessels radiating from a central arteriole, most commonly on the face, neck, or chest (telos=end)
Purpuric lesions
purpura; lesions resulting from hemorrhages into the skin
Petechia
Spot; reddish-brown, minute hemorrhagic spots on the skin that indicate a bleeding tendency; a small purpura
Ecchymosis
Bruise; a black and blue mark; a large purpura (chymo-juice)
Cicatrix of the skin
A mark left by the healing of A sore or wound, showing the replacement of destroyed tissue by fibrous tissue; cicatrix=scar
Keloid
An abnormal overgrowth of scar tissue that is thick and irregular (kele-tumor)
Epidermal tumors
Skin tumors arising from the epidermis
Nevus
A congenital malformation on the skin that can be epidermal or vascular; also called a mole
Dysplastic nevus
A mole w/ precancerous changes
Verruca
An epidermal tumor called by a papilloma virus, also called a wart
Aloplecia
Baldness; natural or unnatural deficiency of hair
Comedo
A plug of sebum (oil) within the opening of a hair follicle
Closed comedo
A comedo below the skin surface, with a white center (whitehead)
Open comedo
A comedo open to the skin surface, with a black center caused by the presence of melanin exposed to air (blackhead)
Eruption
Appearance of a skin legion
Erythema
Redness of skin
Pruritus
Severe itching
Rash
A general term for skin eruption, most often associated w/ communicable disease
Skin pigmentation
Skin color resulting in the presence of melanin
Depigmentation
Loss of melanin pigment in the skin
Hypopigmentation
Areas of skin lacking color because of deficient amounts of melanin
Hyperpigmentation
Darkened areas of skin caused by excessive amounts of melanin
Suppuration
Production of purulent matter (pus)
Urticaria
Hives; an eruption of wheals on the skin accompanied by itching (urtica-stinging nettle)
Xeroderma
Dry skin
Acne
Inflammation of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin, evidenced by comedones (blackneads), pustules, or nodules on the skin (ache =point)
Albinism
A hereditary condition characterized by a partial or total lack of melanin pigment (particularly in the eyes, skin, and hair)
Burn
Injury to body tissue caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, radiation, or gases
First-degree burn
A burn involving only the epidermis; characterized by erythema (redness) and hyperesthesia (excessive sensation)
Second-degree burn
A burn involving the epidermis and the dermis; characterized by erythemia, hyperesthesia, and vesications (blisters)
Third-degree burn
A burn involving all layers of the skin; characterized by the destruction of the epidermis and dermis, w/ damage or destruction of subcutaneous tissue
Dermatitis
Inflammation of the skin characterized by erythema, pruritus (itching), and various lesions
Dermatosis
Any disorder of the skin
Exanthematous viral disease
An eruption of the skin caused by a viral disease (exanthema= eruption)
Rubella
Reddish; German measles
Rubeola
Reddish; 14-day measles
Varicella
A tiny spot; chickenpox
Eczema
To boil out; often used interchangeably with dermatitis to denote a skin condition characterized by the appearance of inflamed, swollen papules and vesicles that crust and scale, often with sensations of itching and burning
Furuncle
Boil; a painful nodule formed in the skin by inflammation originating in a hair follicle; caused by staphylococcosis
Carbuncle
A skin infection consisting of clusters of furuncles (carbo= small, glowing embers)
Abscess
A localized collection of pus in a cavity formed by the inflammation of surrounding tissues, which heals when drained or excised (abscessus =a going away)
Gangrene
An eating sore; death of tissue associated with loss of blood supply
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)
Transient viral vesicles (ex: cold sores or fever blisters) that infect the facial area, especially the mouth and the nose (herpes= creeping skin disease)
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)
Sexually transmitted, ulcer-lie lesions of the genitalia and anorectal skin and mucosa; after initial infection, the virus lies dormant in the nerve cell root and may recur at times of stress
Herpes zoster
A viral disease affecting the peripheral nerves characterized by painful blisters that spread over the skin following affected nerves, usually unilateral; also known as shingles (zoster=girdle)
Impetigo
A highly contagious, bacterial skin inflammation marked by pustules that rupture and become crusted, most often around the mouth and nostrils
Keratoses
Thickened areas of epidermis
Actinic (or solar) keratoses
Localized thickening of the skin caused by excessive exposure to sunlight, a known precursor to cancer (actinic= ray; solar= sun)
Seborrheic keratoses
Benign, wart-like tumors; more common on elderly skin
Lupus
A chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of various parts of the body (lupus=wolf)
Cutaneous lupus
Limited to the skin; evidenced by a characteristic rash, especially on the face, neck, and scalp
Systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
A more severe form of lupus involving the skin, joints, and often viral organs (ex: lungs or kidneys)
Malignant cutaneous neoplasm
Skin cancer
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
Malignant tumor of the squamous epithelium
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
Malignant tumor of the basal layer of the epidermis; the most common type of skin cancer
Malignant melanoma
Malignant tumor composed of melanocytes
Kaposi sarcoma
Malignant tumor of the walls of blood vessels, appearing as painless, dark bluish-purple plaques on the skin; often spreads to the lymph nodes and internal organs; commonly seen in patients with HIV/AIDS
Onychia
Inflammation of the fingernail or toenail
Paronychia
Inflammation of the nail fold
Pediculosis
Infestation with lice that causes itching and dermatitis
Pediculosis capitis
Head lice
Pediculosis pubis
Lice that generally infect the pubic region and sometimes also hair of the axilla, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, or other hairy body surfaces; also called crabs
Psoriasis
Itching; a chronic, recurrent skin disease marked by silvery scales covering red patches, papules, and/or plaques on the skin that result from overproduction and thickening of skin cells; common sits of involvement are the elbows, knees, genitals, arms, legs, scalp, and nails
Scabies
A contagious disease caused by a parasite that invades the skin, causing an intense itch, most often at articulations between the fingers or toes, elbow, etc.
Seborrhea
A skin condition marked by the hyper secretion of sebum from the sebaceous glands
Tinea
A group of fungal skin disease identified by the body part affected, including tinea corporis (body), commonly called ringworm, and tinea pedis (foot), also called athletes foot
Vitiligo
A condition caused by the destruction of melanin that results in the appearance of white patches on the skin (commonly the face, hands, legs, and genital areas)
Biopsy (Bx)
Removal of a small piece of tissue for microscopic pathologic examination
Excisional biopsy
Removal of entire lesion
Incisional biopsy
Removal of a selected portion of a lesion
Shave biopsy
A technique using a surgical blade to “shave” tissue from the epidermis and upper dermis
Culture and sensitivity
A technique of isolating and growing colonies of microorganisms to identify a pathogen and to determine which drugs might be effective for combating the infection it has caused
Frozen selection
A surgical technique that involves cutting a thin piece of tissue from a frozen specimen for immediate pathologic examination
Skin tests
Methods for determining the reaction of the body to a given substance by applying it to, or injecting it into, the skin; commonly used in treating allergies
Scratch test
A test in which a substance is applied to the skin through a scratch
Patch test
A test in which a substance is applied topically to the skin on a small piece of blotting paper or wet cloth
Chemosurgery
Removal of tissue after it has been destroyed by chemical means
Chemical peel
A technique for restoring wrinkled, scarred, or blemished skin by applying an acid solution to “peel” away the top layers of the skin
Cryosurgery
Destruction of tissue by freezing with application of an extremely cold chemical (ex: liquid nitrogen)
Dermabrasion
Surgical removal of epidermis frozen by aerosol spray using wire brushes and emery papers to remove scars, tattoos, and/or wrinkles
Debridement
Removal of dead tissue from a wound or burn site to promote healing and to prevent infection
Curettage
Cleaning; scraping a wound using a spoon-like cutting instrument called a curette; used for debridement
Electrosurgical procedures
Use of electric current to destroy tissue; the type and strength of the current and method of application vary
Electrocautery
Use of an instrument heated by electric current to coagulate bleeding areas by burning the tissue
Electrodesiccation
Use of high frequency electric currents to destroy tissue by drying it; the active electrode makes direct contact with the skin lesion
Fulguration
To lighten; use of long, high-frequency, electric sparks to destroy tissue; active electrode does NOT touch the skin
Incision and drainage (I&D)
Incision and drainage of an infected skin lesion ( an abscess)
Laser
An acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; an instrument that concentrates high frequencies of light into a small, extremely intense beam that is precise in depth and diameter; applied to body tissues to destroy lesions or for dissection
Laser surgery
Surgery using a laser in various dermatologic procedures to remove lesions, scars, tattoos, etc.
Mohs surgery
A technique used to excise tumors of the skin by removing fresh tissue, layer by layer, until a tumor-free plane is reached
Skin grafting
Transfer of skin from one body site to another to replace skin that has been lost through a burn or injury
Autographt
Graft transfer to a new position in the body of the same person (auto=self)
Heterograft or xenograft
Graft transfer between different species, such as from animal to human (hetero= different; xeno=strange)
Homograft or allograft
Donor transfer between persons of the same species, such as human to human
Chemotherapy
Treatment of malignancies, infections, and other diseases with chemical agents that destroy selected cells or impair their ability to reproduce
Radiation therapy
Treatment of neoplastic disease using ionizing radiation to deter the proliferation of malignant cells
Sclerotherapy
Use of sclerosing agents in treating diseases (ex; injection of a saline solution into a dilated blood vessel tumor in the skin, resulting in the hardening of the tissue within and eventual sloughing away of the lesion)
Ultraviolet therapy
Use of ultraviolet light to promote healing of a skin lesion (ex: an ulcer)
Anesthetic
A drug that temporarily blocks transmission of nerve conduction to produce a loss of sensations (pain)
Antibiotic
A drug that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms
Antifungal
A drug that kills or prevents the growth of fungi
Antihistamine
A drug that blocks the effects of histamine in the body
Histamine
A relating body substance released in excess during allergic reactions, causing swelling and inflammation of tissues
Antiinflammatory
A drug that reduces inflammation
Antipruritic
A drug that relieves itching
Antiseptic
An agent that inhibits the growth of infectious microorganisms
