Dermatology and Breast Medical Terminology

Vocabulary flashcards covering medical terms related to skin structures, lesions, infectious and inflammatory diseases, procedures, tests, abbreviations, and breast anatomy and pathology.

integument

Skin (outer skin); outer covering of the body, a general term referring to the entire skin.

corium (=dermis)

Dermis; skin layer containing blood vessels, hair follicles, etc.

epidermis

Epidermis; outermost layer of skin composed of squamous epithelium.

stratum corneum

Horny layer / stratum corneum; the outermost keratinized layer belonging to the epidermis.

subcutaneous layer

Subcutaneous tissue; layer of fat and connective tissue located beneath the dermis.

hair follicle

Hair follicle; sac-shaped skin appendage where hair grows.

sebaceous gland

Sebaceous gland; skin appendage that secretes sebum.

sweat gland

Sweat gland; skin appendage that secretes sweat.

lymphatic gland

Lymph gland; immune system structure that does not belong to skin appendages.

alopecia

Alopecia; condition where hair that should normally be present decreases or falls out.

alopecia areata

Alopecia areata; hair loss occurring in a circular pattern.

baldness

Baldness; synonym of alopecia.

chloasma (=melasma)

Chloasma / melasma; brown hyperpigmentation occurring on the face, especially under the eyes or on the forehead.

albinism

Albinism; congenital melanin deficiency causing hair, skin, and eyes to appear white due to lack of color.

leukoderma

Leukoderma; acquired pigment loss disorder due to melanin pigment deficiency.

vitiligo

Vitiligo; condition forming white patches due to skin depigmentation.

melanoderma

Melanoderma; condition in which skin turns black due to excessive accumulation of melanin pigment.

osmidrosis

Osmidrosis; condition causing an unusual odor due to an abnormality in armpit sweat glands.

hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis; condition with excessive sweating due to activation of sympathetic nerve function.

anhidrosis

Anhidrosis; condition where sweat is not produced.

hidrorrhea

Hidrorrhea; condition where sweat is excessively secreted and flows.

diaphoresis

Diaphoresis; state of profuse / severe sweat secretion.

macule (macula)

Macule; flat or unpalpable skin color change up to 1 cm in diameter, e.g., freckles.

patch

Patch; flat spot 1 cm or larger in size, e.g., vitiligo.

papule

Papule; solid mass growing up to 0.5 cm in diameter, e.g., nevus.

plaque

Plaque; solid mass 1 cm or larger in diameter on skin surface.

nodule

Nodule; solid mass 1 cm or larger, extending deeper than the epidermis.

tumor

Tumor; solid mass 1~2 cm or larger.

wheal

Wheal; localized skin swelling / edema.

vesicle

Vesicle; small fluid-filled sac.

bulla (=bleb=blister)

Bulla / bleb / blister; large blister 0.5 cm or larger.

pustule

Pustule; pus-filled sac, e.g., acne.

erosion

Erosion; shallow loss of epidermis without bleeding.

ulcer

Ulcer; open erosion of skin and mucous membrane, which may be accompanied by pain and infection.

excoriation

Excoriation; epidermal abrasion or scratch mark.

fissure

Fissure; linear crack or slit in the skin.

scale

Scale; thin piece of flaked epidermis.

crust

Crust; dried residue of sebum or body fluid attached to skin.

eruption

Eruption / rash; general term referring to the morphology of skin lesions.

urticaria (=hives)

Urticaria / hives; vascular reaction of the skin caused by plants, drugs, infection, or emotional stress.

hyperkeratosis

Hyperkeratosis; condition in which the epidermis thickens and forms calluses that crack due to excessive growth of the stratum corneum.

bruise

Bruise; bleeding in subcutaneous tissue due to ruptured blood vessels under the skin from impact or hitting.

cicatrix (=scar)

Cicatrix / scar; altered area remaining on the skin after trauma heals.

ecchymosis

Ecchymosis; bruise caused by bleeding inside capillary vessels.

petechia

Petechia; small spots appearing without elevation due to intradermal or subcutaneous hemorrhage, 1~2 mm diameter.

purpura

Purpura; purple lesion formed as blood flows into skin.

telangiectasia

Telangiectasia; small red vascular lesion formed by dilation of blood vessels spreading from central arterioles.

spider angioma

Spider angioma; vascular dilation displaying a spider-like appearance, frequently occurring in liver disease.

cherry angioma

Cherry angioma; bright red, rounded small vascular tumor.

erythema

Erythema; symptom where skin or mucous membranes turn red due to congestion, inflammation, epithelial desquamation, etc.

verruca (=wart)

Verruca / wart; benign tumor of the epidermis caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

comedo (pl. comedones)

Comedo; state in which the hair follicle opening is clogged with sebum.

closed comedo (whitehead)

Closed comedo / whitehead; comedo with a white center beneath the skin surface.

open comedo (blackhead)

Open comedo / blackhead; comedo open at skin surface with a black center due to melanin oxidation.

herpes simplex

Herpes simplex; HSV infection, type 1 is herpes labialis and type 2 is herpes genitalis.

herpes genitalis

Herpes genitalis; genital herpes caused by herpes simplex type 2.

herpes gingivitis

Herpes gingivitis; rash around the mouth (gingival area) caused by virus.

herpes zoster (=shingles)

Herpes zoster / shingles; blistering rash caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), involving peripheral nerves and severe neuralgia.

postzoster neuralgia

Postzoster neuralgia; pain left by ganglion inflammation after herpes zoster.

varicella (=chickenpox)

Varicella / chickenpox; acute viral disease caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV).

measles (=rubeola)

Measles / rubeola; measles virus infection, highly contagious, developing in over 90% of contacts.

rubella (=German measles)

Rubella / German measles; infection caused by rubella virus, transmitted through the respiratory tract.

smallpox (=variola)

Smallpox / variola; acute eruptive disease caused by variola virus.

impetigo (=impetigo contagiosa)

Impetigo / impetigo contagiosa; shallow purulent infection occurring commonly on the skin of infants and young children in summer.

acne (=pimple)

Acne / pimple; occurs when pores are clogged with sebum and bacterial infection occurs.

boil (=furuncle)

Boil / furuncle; acute purulent infection of hair follicle and surrounding tissue.

carbuncle

Carbuncle; necrotizing inflammation of skin and subcutaneous tissue composed of a cluster of boils (furuncles).

cellulitis

Cellulitis; acute bacterial infection appearing in dermis and subcutaneous tissue.

erysipelas

Erysipelas; contagious disease causing red skin swelling caused by beta-hemolytic Streptococcus.

paronychia

Paronychia; inflammation around fingernails or toenails caused by bacteria.

pemphigus

Pemphigus; autoimmune disease forming blisters on skin and mucous membranes.

lupus vulgaris

Lupus vulgaris; chronic skin lesion caused by tubercle bacilli.

tinea (=ringworm)

Tinea / ringworm; skin disease caused by fungus.

tinea pedis (=athlete's foot)

Tinea pedis / athlete's foot; tinea/ringworm on the foot.

tinea corporis

Tinea corporis; tinea/ringworm on the body trunk.

tinea capitis

Tinea capitis; tinea/ringworm on the scalp.

tinea barbae

Tinea barbae; tinea/ringworm in the beard area.

tinea unguium

Tinea unguium; tinea/ringworm occurring on fingernails or toenails.

scabies

Scabies; contagious skin disease caused by mites, characterized by severe itching.

leprosy (=Hansen's disease)

Leprosy / Hansen's disease; chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, causing skin lesions of mucous membranes and peripheral nervous system.

eczema

Eczema; superficial inflammation observed with itching along with blisters, papules, erythema, swelling, etc.

psoriasis

Psoriasis; chronic inflammatory skin disease with silvery scales, epidermal hyperproliferation, commonly occurring on scalp, elbows, and knees.

atopy (atopic dermatitis)

Atopy / atopic dermatitis; disease caused by immune-related genetic factors.

contact dermatitis

Contact dermatitis; skin disease caused by contact with cosmetics, chemicals, etc.

actinic dermatitis

Actinic dermatitis; skin inflammation resulting from excessive exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet rays, radiation, etc.

dermatitis medicamentosa

Dermatitis medicamentosa; skin inflammation caused by drugs.

exfoliative dermatitis

Exfoliative dermatitis; severe dermatitis where skin peeling occurs over the entire body.

seborrheic dermatitis

Seborrheic dermatitis; dermatitis associated with abnormal sebum secretion.

allergic dermatitis

Allergic dermatitis; dermatitis caused by allergic reaction.

SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus)

Systemic lupus erythematosus; autoimmune disease accompanied by a butterfly-shaped rash on the face, joint pain, edema, fever, and anemia.

scleroderma

Scleroderma; chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease where skin hardens and thickens due to excessive collagen accumulation in the dermis.

Behcet's disease

Behcet's disease; an autoimmune disease classified along with SLE, scleroderma, and atopy.

callus

Callus; thickened skin from continuous pressure or friction without a central core.

corn

Corn; disease where skin stratum corneum thickens into a cone shape due to pressure.

pressure sore (=decubitus ulcer=bedsore)

Pressure sore / decubitus ulcer / bedsore; ulcer with blood and nutrient supply disorder caused by pressure on bony prominences.

burn

Burn; skin tissue damage caused by heat (fire, boiling water, electricity, chemicals).

escharotomy

Escharotomy; incision of eschar (crust) performed on burns.

basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma; malignant tumor proliferating from the basal layer of the epidermis with a low tendency for metastasis.

squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma; skin cancer arising from squamous cells of the epidermis.

malignant melanoma

Malignant melanoma; malignant tumor arising from melanocytes, evaluated by the ABCDE rule.