Secondary Skin Lesions

Question 1

Crust

Answer 1

Thickened, dried-out exudate left when vesicles/ pustules (blisters or acne) burst or dry up. Color can be red-brown, honey, or yellow, depending on fluid’s ingredients (blood, serum, pus). Dermatitis, scab after abrasion, impetigo (dry, honey colored)

Question 2

Scale

Answer 2

Compact, desiccated flakes of skin, dry or greasy, silvery or white, from shedding of dead excess keratin cells. psoriasis, ichthyosis (dry, scaling skin), dry skin

Question 3

Fissure

Answer 3

Linear crack with abrupt edges, extends into dermis, dry or moist. Cheilosis (corners of mouth due to excess moisture), athlete’s foot

Question 4

Erosion

Answer 4

Scooped out but shallow depression, superficial; epidermis lost, moist but no bleeding; heals without scar because erosion does not extend into dermis.

Question 5

Ulcer

Answer 5

Deeper depression extending into dermis, irregular shape, may bleed, leaves scar when heals. Pressure sore, stasis ulcer

Question 6

Excoriation

Answer 6

Self-inflicted abrasion; superficial, sometimes crusted, scratches intense itching, insect bites

Question 7

Scar

Answer 7

After a skin lesion is repaired, normal tissue is lost and replaced with connective tissue (collagen). This is a permanent fibrotic change.

Question 8

Attrophic scar

Answer 8

Resulting skin level depressed with loss of tissue; a thinning of the epidermis; stretch marks

Question 9

Lichenification

Answer 9

Prolonged intesnse scratching eventually thickens the skin and produces tightly packed set of papules; looks like surface of moss

Question 10

Keloid

Answer 10

A hypertrophic scar. The resulting skin level is elevated by excess scar tissue, which is invasive beyond the site of the original injury. May increase long after healing occurs. Looks smotth, rubbery, “clawlike” and has a higher incidence among black people