Term | Definition |
adip/o | fat |
lip/o | fat |
steat/o | fat |
cuteane/o | skin |
dermat/o | skin |
derm/o | skin |
hidr/o | sweat |
sudor/o | sweat |
ichty/o | dry/scaly |
kerat/o | horny tissue; hard, cornea |
melan/o | black |
myc/o | fungus |
onych/o | nail |
ungu/o | nail |
pil/o | hair |
trich/o | hair |
scler/o | hardening; sclera (white of eye) |
seb/o | sebum, sebaceous |
squam/o | scale |
xen/o | foreign, strange |
xer/o | dry |
-cyte | cell |
-derma | skin |
-logist | specialist in study of |
-logy | study of |
-therapy | treatment |
an- | without, not |
dia- | through, across |
epi- | above, upon |
homo- | same |
hyper- | excessive, above normal |
sub- | under, below |
localized | affecting an area of definite size |
systemic | widely spread throughout the body |
lesion | tissue that has been pathologically altered by injury, wound, or infection |
Primary skin lesion | Initial reaction to pathologically altered tissue |
Secondary skin lesions | changes that take place in primary lesion due to infection, scratching,trauma, or various stages of disease |
First-degree burn | burns that injure only the epidermis |
Second-degree burn | burns that injure the epidermis and part of the dermis (similar symptoms of first degree, but fluid filled blisters form) |
Vesicles/ bullae | Blisters that form as a result of second-degree burns |
Third-degree burn | Epidermis and dermis are destroyed and some underlying tissue is damaged. Results in waxy skin, charred, and insensitivity to touch. |
Neoplasms | Any abnormal growth of new tissue |
Malignant neoplasms | a.k.a. Cancer. When cells become invasive and metastasize. |
acne | inflammatory condition of sebaceous glands |
alopecia | partial or complete loss of hair |
Bowen disease | Form of intraepidermal carcinoma (squamous cell) characterized by red-brown scaly or crusted lesions that resemble psoriasis. |
cellulitis | Diffuse, acute infection of skin and subcutaneous tissue. |
chloasma | pigmentary skin discoloration usually occurring in yellowish brown patches or spots |
comedo | (whitehead) accumulation of keratin, bacteria, and dried sebum plugging an excretory duct of the skin. |
dermatomycosis | infection of the skin caused by fungi |
ecchymosis | Bruise. Ranges from blue-black to greenish brown or yellow |
eczema | Chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by erythema, papules, vesicles, pustules, scales, crusts, and scabs, and accompanied by intense itching. |
Pruritis | itching |
erythema | redness of the skin caused by swelling of the capillaries |
eschar | Dead matter that is sloughed off from the surface of the skin, esp. after a burn. |
impetigo | bacterial infection characterized by isolated pustules that become crusted and rupture. |
keratosis | Thickened area of the epidermis or any horny growth on the skin (e.g. callus, wart). |
lentigo | small brown macules brought on by sun exposure. Common in older persons. |
pallor | unusual paleness or absence of color in skin |
pediculosis | Infestation with lice |
petechia | Minute, pinpoint hemorrhage under skin. (small bruise) |
Pressure ulcer | inflammation, sore, or skin deterioration caused by prolonged pressure from lying in one position that prevents blood flow to the tissues. |
psoriasis | chronic skin disease characterized by circumscribed red patched covered by thick, dry, silvery, adherent scales, and caused by excessive development of the basal layer |
Purpura | any of several bleeding disorders characterized by hemorrhage into the tissues |
scabies | contagious skin disease transmitted by the itch mite, often through sexual contact |
tinea | Fungal skin infection.
a.k.a ringworm.
usually accompanied by body part affected (e.g. tinea pedis "athlete's foot) |
urticaria | allergic reaction characterized by eruption of pale, red, elevated patches (a.k.a hives/ wheals) |
verruca | Epidermal growth caused by a virus (a.k.a. warts) |
Vitiligo | localized loss of skin pigmentation characterized by milk-white patches |
chemical peel | chemical removal of outer layers of skin to treat acne scarring and general keratoses (a.k.a chemabrasion) |
cryosurgery | use of subfreezing (usu. liquid nitrogen) to destroy or eliminated abnormal tissue. |
debridement | Removal of necrotized tissue from a wound by surgical excision, enzymes, or chemical agents. |
dermabrasion | Rubbing using wire brushes or sandpaper to mechanically scrape away the epidermis |
fulguration | tissue destruction by means of high-frequency electric current (a.k.a. electrodesiccation) |
photodynamic therapy | procedure where cells are selectively treated with a "photo-sensitizer" to produce a reaction that destroys the cell |
biopsy (Bx) | Representative tissue sample removed for microscopic examination |
frozen section (FS) | Ultrathin slice of tissue from a frozen specimen for immediate pathological examination |
needle | removal of tissue for examination using a hollow needle |
punch | removal of tissue for examination using a hollow punch |
shave | removal of elevated lesions using a surgical blade |
Mohs | layers of cancer-containing skin are progressively removed and examined until only cancer-free tissue remains |
skin graft | transplantation of healthy tissue to an injured site |
allograft | transplantation of healthy tissue from one person to another (a.k.a. homograft) |
autograft | transplantation of healthy tissue from one site to another in the same individual |
synthetic | transplantation of artificial skin produced from collagen fibers in a lattice pattern |
xenograft | transplantation from a a foreign donor (usu.pig) and transferred to a human (a.k.a. heterograft) |
allergy skin test | intradermal- subcutaneous injection of suspected allergen
patch- allergen on patch is taped to skin
scratch- allergen is applied to lightly scratched area of skin |
culture & sensitivity (C&S) | Lab grows culture from an infected site to identify bacterium and test sensitivity to antibiotics |
Bx | biopsy |
BCC | Basal cell carcinoma |
C&S | Culture and sensitivity |
CA | Cancer, chronological age, cardiac arrest |
FS | Frozen section |
ID | intradermal |
I&D | incision and drainage |
IMP | impression (syn w/ diagnosis) |
IV | intravenous |
TNM | tumor-node-metastasis |
ung | ointment |
XP, XDP | xerodema pigmentosum |
Nystatin, itraconazole | antifungals |
diphenhydramine, loratadine, | antihistamines |
lindane, permathrin | antiparasitics |
ethyl/ isopropol alcohol, hydrogen peroxide | antiseptics |
hyrdocortisone, triamcinolone | corticosteroids |
tretinoin | keratolytics |
lotions, ointments | protectives |
lidocaine, procaine | topical anesthetics |
Papule | |
Nodule | |
Tumor | |
Wheal | |
Vesicle | |
Pustule | |
Bulla | |