Description of Secondary Skin Lesions | |||
| Lichenification: A distinctive thickening of the skin that is characterized by accentuated skin-fold markings. | |||
| Scale: Excessive accumulation of stratum corneum. | |||
| Crust: Dried exudate of body fluids that may be either yellow (i.e., serous crust) or red (i.e., hemorrhagic crust). | |||
| Erosion: Loss of epidermis without an associated loss of dermis. | |||
| Ulcer: Loss of epidermis and at least a portion of the underlying dermis. | |||
| Excoriation: Linear, angular erosions that may be covered by crust and are caused by scratching. | |||
| Atrophy: An acquired loss of substance. In the skin, this may appear as a depression with intact epidermis (i.e., loss of dermal or subcutaneous tissue) or as sites of shiny, delicate, wrinkled lesions (i.e., epidermal atrophy). | |||
| Scar: A change in the skin secondary to trauma or inflammation. Sites may be erythematous, hypopigmented, or hyperpigmented depending on their age or character. Sites on hair-bearing areas may be characterized by destruction of hair follicles. |