Visual Guide Glossary of Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| antecubital fossa | the ‘elbow pit’; the triangular area on the anterior side of upper arm and forearm |
| axilla | armpit |
| crust | a ‘scab’; a formation of dried serum (serous), blood (hemorraghic) or pus on the surface of the skin |
| Dennie-Morgan folds | a fold or line in the skin below the lower eyelid; often occurs in individuals with allergies or atopic dermatitis |
| dorsal/ventral | means on the upper surface or back of a body part |
| eczema herpeticum | a skin infection caused by herpes simplex virus |
| edema | swelling |
| erosions | a sore due to the superficial or partial destruction of surface tissue such as the skin |
| erythematous; erythema | red skin due to an increased blood supply |
| erythroderma | redness affecting at least 90% of the skin surface |
| excoriations | a loss of the epidermis and a portion of the dermis due to scratching or an exogenous injury. It may be linear or punctate |
| fissure | a split or crack in the skin |
| follicular | located within or around hair follicles |
| furuncle | a boil |
| glabellar | the skin of the forehead between the eyebrows and above the nose |
| hyperkeratotic | thickening of the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin |
| hyperlinear (palms) | thickening of the skin on the palms and soles with an increase in the number of lines in the skin |
| hyperpigmentation/hypopigmentation | darkened skin compared to normal; skin colour that is paler than normal |
| keratosis pilaris | dry, rough patches and tiny bumps, often on the upper arms, thighs, cheeks or buttocks. The bumps usually don’t hurt or itch |
| lichenification | caused by chronic rubbing, which results in palpably thickened skin with increased skin markings |
| maceration | moist peeling skin |
| oral commissure | the corner(s) of the mouth where the lips meet the skin |
| papules | elevated, solid, palpable lesion that is ≤ 1 cm in diameter. They may be solitary or multiple |
| papulo-vesicles | a small blister. It is a circumscribed lesion ≤ 1 cm in diameter that contains liquid (clear, serous or haemorrhagic). They may be single or multiple |
| periocular | relating to, occurring in, or being the tissues surrounding or lining the orbit of the eye |
| plaques | a circumscribed, palpable lesion more than 1 cm in diameter; most plaques are elevated. Plaques may result from a coalescence of papules. Most plaques are elevated, but a plaque can also be a thickened area without being visibly raised above the skin surface. They may have well-defined or ill-defined borders |
| popliteal fossa | the ‘knee pit’; the diamond-shaped space behind the knee joint between the thigh and the calf |
| prurigo papule | Primary prurigo lesions are dome-shaped papules. Secondary prurigo lesions are scratched papules, scaly lesions, or thickened, darkly pigmented areas (lichen simplex or neurodermatitis). Scratching may lead to scarring. |
| scale | an increase in the dead cells on the surface of the skin |
| violaceous | describing a violet or purple hue |
