Integumentary System — Part 2: Skin Conditions & Disorders

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering skin functions, disease classifications, clinical presentations, and patient care considerations for 12th Grade Patient Care.

Protect (Skin Function)

The integumentary function of acting as a protective barrier against physical injury and ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Sense (Skin Function)

The integumentary function responsible for detecting touch, pain, and temperature.

Regulate (Skin Function)

The integumentary function responsible for controlling body temperature.

Prevent Water Loss (Skin Function)

The integumentary function that maintains fluid balance across the body.

Defend (Skin Function)

The integumentary function that supports overall immune protection.

Inflammatory Disorder

A category of skin disease characterized by redness, swelling, itching, or irritation.

Infectious Disorder

A category of skin disease that occurs when microorganisms invade and damage the skin.

Autoimmune Disorder

A category of disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissues.

Genetic / Hormonal Disorder

A condition whose development and progression are driven by genes or hormones.

Pigment Disorder

A category of skin condition involving alterations that affect melanin or pigment-producing cells.

Abnormal Cell Growth

A category of skin disorder where cells grow abnormally or uncontrollably.

Acne Vulgaris

A common inflammatory disorder involving hair follicles and sebaceous glands, caused by oil and dead skin cells clogging follicles, resulting in blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, nodules, or cysts.

Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

A chronic inflammatory skin condition involving skin barrier dysfunction and immune activity that presents as a cycle of weakened barrier, water loss, inflammation, itch, and scratching damage.

Contact Dermatitis

An exposure-related skin inflammation triggered by physical contact with an irritating chemical, substance, or allergen.

Irritant Contact Dermatitis

A type of contact dermatitis caused when an external substance directly damages or irritates the skin.

Allergic Contact Dermatitis

A type of contact dermatitis that occurs when the immune system mounts an allergic reaction to an exposed substance.

Seborrheic Dermatitis

A common inflammatory skin condition affecting sebum-rich areas (such as the scalp, eyebrows, nose, ears, and upper chest) driven by inflammation and normal skin yeast, causing flaking, redness, and scaling.

Psoriasis

A chronic, non-contagious immune-mediated inflammatory disorder where immune overactivation causes rapid epidermal cell production, leading to thick, raised plaques with silvery scale.

Rosacea

A chronic facial skin condition involving inflammation and blood vessel changes, characterized by redness, flushing, visible small blood vessels, burning, and pustules or bumps.

Alopecia Areata

An autoimmune condition where the immune system targets hair follicles, disrupting growth and causing sudden, smooth round or oval patches of hair loss.

Androgenetic Alopecia

The most common form of hereditary pattern hair loss, caused by genetic sensitivity to hormones leading to gradual follicle shrinkage, shorter and thinner hairs, and decreased hair density.

Melanocytes

The specialized cells in the skin responsible for producing melanin, which gives skin its pigment.

Vitiligo

A non-contagious pigment disorder characterized by the loss or destruction of melanocytes, resulting in distinct depigmented, lighter patches on the skin.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)

A chronic inflammatory condition affecting intertriginous skin folds (such as the underarms, groin, and buttocks) characterized by follicle inflammation, painful nodules, recurrent drainage, tunneling, and scarring.

Impetigo

A highly contagious superficial bacterial skin infection that enters through broken skin to form sores or blisters that typically develop a honey-colored crust.

Cellulitis

A deep bacterial infection of the deeper skin layers and underlying tissue, marked by a spreading area of redness, warmth, swelling, pain, and possible fever.

Urticaria (Hives)

Raised, itchy skin welts resulting from an inflammatory or allergic reaction where histamine release causes blood vessels to become permeable, leaking fluid into surrounding tissues.

Melanoma

A severe form of skin cancer arising from melanocytes, driven by DNA damage that causes abnormal, uncontrolled cell division and potential invasion into other tissues.

ABCDE Warning Signs

A visual screening criteria for identifying potential melanoma lesions: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variation, and Diameter.

Pemphigus Vulgaris

A rare autoimmune blistering disorder where autoantibodies attack proteins that adhere skin cells together, causing cellular separation and fragile blisters or erosions on the skin and mucous membranes.

Patient-Care Framework

A five-step systematic approach for patient care providers: Observe (findings), Think (underlying mechanism), Protect (PPE/infection control), Support (comfort/hydration/hygiene), and Report (changes/red flags).

Anaphylaxis (Clinical Red Flag)

A life-threatening systemic allergic emergency characterized by urticaria (hives) accompanied by breathing difficulty and swelling, requiring immediate emergency intervention.