Med Term Ch 3
Terms
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- 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)
- acne
- inflammation of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin, evidenced by comedones (blackheads), pustules, or nodules on the skin (acne=point)
- actinic keratoses / solar keratoses
- localzed thickening of the skin caused by excessive exposure to sunlight, a known precursor to cancer (actinic= ray; solar= sun)
- adip/o, lip/o, steat/o
- fat
- albinism
- a hereditary condition characterized by a partial or total lack of melanin pigment (particularly in the eyes, skin and hair)
- alopecia
- baldness; natural or unnatural deficiency of hair
- anesthetic
- a drug that temporarily blocks transmission of nerve conduction to produce a loss of sensations (eg. 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
- antiinflammatory
- a drug that reduces inflammation
- antipruritic
- a drug that relieves itching
- antiseptic
- an agent that inhibits the growth of infectious microorganisms
- autograft
- graft transfer to a new position in the body of the same person (auto= self)
- basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
- malignant tumor of the basal layer of the epidermis; the most common type of skin cancer
- basal layer
- deepest layer of epidermis
- biopsy (Bx)
- removal of a small piece of tissue for microscopic pathologic examination
- bulla
- a blister larger than .5 cm (eg. a second-degree burn)(bulla=bubble)
- burn
- injury to body tissue caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, radiation, or gases
- carbuncle
- a skin infection consisting of clusters of furuncles (carbo= small, glowing embers)
- 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
- chemosurgery
- removal of tissue after it has been destroyed by chemical means
- chemotherapy
- treatment of malignancies, infections, and other diseases with chemical agents that destroy selected cells or impair their ability to reproduce
- cherry angioma
- a small, round, bright red blood vessel tumor on the skin, often on the trunk of the elderly
- cicatrix of the skin
- a mark left by the healing of a sore or wound, showing the replacement of destroyed tissue by fibrous tissue (ciccatrix=scar)
- closed comedo
- a comedo below the skin surface, with a white center (whitehead)
- collagen
- protein substance in skin and connective tissue (koila=glue, gen=producing)
- comedo
- a plug of sebum (oil) within the opening of a hair follicle
- crust
- a dried residue of serum (body liquid), pus, or blood on the skin (eg. as seen in impetigo)
- cryosurgery
- destruction of tissue by freezing with application of an extremely cold chemical (eg. liquid nitrogen)
- culture and sensitivity (C&S)
- 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
- curettage
- cleaning; scraping a wound using a spoon-like cutting instrument called a curette; used for debridement
- cutaneous lupus
- limited to the skin; evidenced by a characteristic rash, especially on the face, neck and scalp
- debridement
- removal of dead tissue from a wound or burn site to promote healing and to prevent infection
- depigmentation
- loss of melanin pigment of the skin
- derm/o, dermat/o, cutane/o
- skin
- dermabrasion
- surgical removal of epidermis frozen by aerosol spray using wire brushes and emery papers to remove scars, tattoos, and/or wrinkles
- dermatitis
- inflammation of the skin characterized by erythema, pruritus (itching), and various lesions
- dermatosis
- any disorder of the skin
- dermis
- dense, fibrous connective tissue layer of the skin, also known as corium
- dysplastic nevus
- a mole with precancerous changes
- ecchymosis
- bruise; a black and blue mark; a large purpura
- 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
- electrocautery
- use of an instrument heated by electric current (cautery) to coagulate bleeding areas by burning the tissue (eg. to sear a blood vessel)
- electrodesiccation
- use of high-frequency electric currents to destroy tissue by drying it; the active electrode makes direct contact with the skin lesion (desiccate= to dry up)
- electrosurgical procedures
- use of electric current to destroy tissue; the type and strength of the current and method of application vary
- epidermal tumors
- skin tumors arising from the epidermis
- epidermis
- thin outer layer of the skin
- epithelium
- cells covering external and internal surfaces of the body
- erosion
- gnawed away; loss of superficial epidermis, leaving an area of moisture but no bleeding (eg. area of moisture after rupture of a vesicle
- eruption
- appearance of a skin lesion
- erythema
- redness of the skin
- erythr/o
- red
- exanthematous viral disease
- an eruption of the skin caused by a viral disease (exanthema=eruption)
- excisional biopsy
- removal of an entire lesion
- excoriation
- a scratch mark
- first degree burn
- a burn involving only the epidermis; characterized by erythema (redness0 and hyperesthesia (excessive sensation)
- fissure
- a linear crack in the skin
- frozen section (FS)
- a surgical technique that involves cutting a thin piece of tissue from a frozen specimen for immediate pathologic examination
- fulguration
- to lighten; use of long, high-frequency, electric sparks to destroy tissue; the active electrode does not touch the skin
- furuncle
- boil; a painful nodule formed in the skin by inflammation originating in a hair follicle; caused by staphylococcosis
- gangrene
- an eating sore; death of tissue associated with loss of blood supply
- hair
- outgrowth of the skin composed of keratin
- herpes simplex type 1
- transient viral vesicles (eg. cold sores or fever blisters) that infect the facial area, especially the mouth and nose (herpes= creeping skin disease)
- herpes simplex type 2
- sexually transmitted, ulcer-like lesions of the genital 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)
- heterograft / xenograft
- graft transfer between different species, such as from animal to human (hetero= different, xeno=strange)
- hidr/o
- sweat
- hist/o, histi/o
- tissue
- histamine
- a regulating body substance released in excess during allergic reactions, causing swelling and inflammation of tissues (eg. in urticaria (hives), hay fever, etc)
- homograft / allograft
- donor transfer between persons of the same species, such as human to human (homo= same)
- hyperpigmentation
- darkened areas of skin caused by excessive amounts of melanin
- hypopigmentation
- areas of skin lacking color because of deficient amounts of melanin
- impetigo
- a highly contagious, bacterial skin inflammation marked by pustules that rupture and become crusted, most often around the mouth and nostrils
- incision and drainage (I&D)
- incision and drainage of an infected skin lesion (eg. an abscess)
- incisional biopsy
- removal of a selected portion of a lesion
- 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
- keloid
- an abnormal overgrowth of scar tissue that is thick and irregular (kele=tumor)
- kerat/o
- hard
- keratin
- hard protein material found in the epidermis, hair and nails
- keratoses
- thickened areas of the epidermis
- laser
- 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 desiccation (cutting of parts for study)
- laser surgery
- surgery using a laser in various dermatologic procedures to remove lesions, scars, tattoos, etc
- lesion
- an area of pathologically altered tissue, the two types of lesions are primary and secondary
- leuk/o
- white
- lupus
- a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of various parts of the body (lupus= wolf)
- macule or macula
- a flat, discolored spot on the skin up to 1 cm across (eg. a freckle)
- malignant cutaneous neoplasm
- skin cancer
- malignant melanoma
- malignant tumor composed of melanocytes
- melan/o
- black
- melanin
- dark brown to black pigment contained in melanocytes
- melanocyte
- cell in the basal layer that gives color to the skin
- Mohs surgery
- a technique used to excise tumors of the skin by removing fresh tissue layer by layer, until a tumor-free plan is reached
- myc/o
- fungus
- nail
- outgrowth of skin, composed of keratin, at the end of each finger and toe
- nevus
- a congenital malformation on the skin that can be epidermal or vascular; also called a mole
- nodule
- a solid mass greater than 1 cm that extends deeper into the epidermis
- onych/o
- nail
- onychia
- inflammation of the fingernail or toenail
- open comedo
- a comedo open to the skin surface, with a black center caused by the presence of melanin exposed to air (blackhead)
- papule
- a solid mass on the skin up to .5 cm in diameter (eg. a nevus (mole))
- paronychia
- inflammation of the nail fold
- patch
- a flat, discolored area on the skin larger than 1 cn (eg. vitiligo)
- patch test
- a test in which a substance is applied topically to the skin on a small piece of blotting paper or wet cloth
- pediculosis
- infesation 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
- petechia
- spot; reddish-brown, minute hemorrhagic spots on the skin that indicate a bleeding tendency; a small purpura
- plaque
- a solid mass greater than 1 cm in diameter and limited to the surface of the skin
- plas/o
- formation
- primary lesions
- lesions arising from previously normal skin
- pruritus
- severe itching
- 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 sites of involvement are the elbows, knees, genitals, arms,
- purpur/o
- purple
- purpuric lesions
- purpura; lesions resulting from hemorrhages into the skin
- pustule
- a pus-filled sac (eg. a pimple)
- radiation therapy
- treatment of neoplastic disease using ionizing radiation to deter the proliferation of malignant cells
- rash
- a general term for skin eruption, most often associated with a communicable disease
- rubella
- reddish; german measles
- rubeola
- reddish; 14-day measles
- scabies
- a contagious disease caused by a parasite (mite) that invades the skin, causing an intense itch, most often at articulations between the fingers or toes, elbox, etc (scabo= to scratch)
- scale
- a thin flake of exfoliated epidermis (eg. dandruff)
- scler/o
- hard
- sclerotherapy
- use of sclerosing agents in treating diseases (eg. injection of a saline solution into a dilated blood vessel tumor in the skin resulting in hardening of the tissue within and eventual sloughing away of the lesion)
- scratch test
- a test in which a substance is applied to the skin through a scratch
- seb/o
- sebum (oil)
- sebaceous glands
- oil glands in the skin
- seborrhea
- a skin condition marked by the hypersecretion of sebum from the sebaceous glands
- seborrheic keratoses
- benign, wart-like tumors; more common on elderly skin
- sebum
- oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands
- second degree burn
- a burn involving the epidermis and the dermis; characterized by erythema, hyperesthesia, and vesications (blisters)
- secondary lesions
- lesions that result in changes in primary lesions
- shave biopsy
- a technique using a surgical blade to "shave" tissue from the epidermis and upper dermis
- skin grafting
- transfer of skin from one body site to another to replace skin that has been lost through a burn or injury
- skin pigmentation
- skin color resulting from the presence of melanin
- 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
- squam/o
- scale
- squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
- malignant tumor of the squamous epithelium
- squamous cell layer
- flat, scale-like epithelial cells comprising the outermost epidermis
- subcutaneous layer
- connective and adipose tissue layer just under the dermis
- sudoriferous glands
- sweat glands (sudor=sweat, ferr=to bear)
- suppuration
- production of purulent matter (pus)
- systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- a more severe form of lupus involving the skin, joints, and often vital organs (eg. lungs or kidneys)
- telangiectasia or spider angioma
- a tiny, red blood vessel lesion formed by the dilation of a group of blood vessels radiation from a central arteriole, most commonly on the face, neck, or chest (telos=end)
- third degree burn
- a burn involving all layers of the skin; characterized by the destruction of the epidermis and dermis, with damage or destruction of subcutaneous tissue
- tinea
- a group of fungal skin diseases identified by the body part affected, including tinea corporis (body), commonly called ringworm, and tinea pedis (foot), also called athlete's foot
- trich/o
- hair
- tumor
- a solid mass larger than 1-2 cm
- ulcer
- an open sore on the skin or mucous membrane that can bleed and scar; sometimes accompanied by infection (eg. decuvitus ulcer)
- ultraviolet therapy
- use of ultraviolet light to promote healing of a skin lesion (eg. an ulcer)
- urticaria
- hives; an eruption of wheals on the skin accompanied by itching (urtica=stinging nettle)
- varicella
- a tiny spot; chickenpox
- vascular lesions
- lesions of a blood vessel
- verruca
- an epidermal tumor caused by a papilloma virus, also called a wart
- vesicle
- little bladder; an elevated, fluid-filled sac (blister) within or under the epidermis up to .5 cm in diameter (eg. a fever blister)
- 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)
- wheal
- an area of localized skin edema (swelling)(eg. a hive)
- xanth/o
- yellow
- xer/o
- dry
- xeroderma
- dry skin