skin, hair and nails

Largest organ system

the skin

• covers 20 square ft or surface area in adults

• protectant

skin function

• skin is waterproof, protective, and adaptive

  • protect form environment

    • bacteria and viruses that are in the area

    • prevents penetration of microorganisms

    • keeps electrolytes in the body

    • prevent electrolyte loss

• perception

  • sensory organ with sensory receptors

  • feel what’s around us

• temp regulation

  • through sweat glands for heat loss or dilation or cold

  • Subcutaneous insulation that holds heat

• identification

  • facial features

• communication

  • expression

  • show emotional state, through blushing or frowning

• wound repair

  • cell replacement

• absorption and excretion

  • excrete things to perspiration

• produce vitamin D

layers of the skin

epidermis

dermis

subcutaneous

epidermis

1. the outer highly differentiated (Has a specific purpose) layer

   1. basal cell layer (inner layer)

      1. forms new skin cells

      2. contains the protein keratin and melanin

         1. keratin: main part and is fibrous and tough

         2. Melanocytes- derivation of skin color

   2. outer horny cell layer of dead keratinized cells (outer layer)

      1. replaced every 4 weeks

Dermis

2. inner supportive layer

   1. connective tissue (collagen)

      1. thick and fibrous

      2. allows the skin to stretch and by protective

   2. elastic tissue

   3. sebaceous glands, sweat glands, hair follicles

   4. nerves

   5. sensory receptors

   6. blood vessels

   7. lymphatics

   8. richly supplied with blood and vasculature

subcutaneous

3. adipose tissue

   1. fat cells

   2. stores fat

   3. provides temp control

   4. adds cushioning

normal skin pigments

• melanin

  • gives us brown pigment

  • genetically determined

  • color increase with sun exposure

• carotene

  • yellow orange tone

  • found in the subcutaneous fat

• vascular bed

  • gives us our red and purple tone

  • oxyhemoglobin

    • with oxygen

    • bright red pigmentation

    • in the arteries and capillaries

    • increase circulation cause red skin tone

    • decrease circulation you see pallor (pale)

  • deoxyhemoglobin

    • lacking o2

    • darker or bluer color

    • Increased concentration make skin look blueish

      • cyanosis

abnormal skin pigments

• jaundice

  • yellow skin color

  • see in the sclera and that will extent to the iris, white part of the eye

  • also seen in the nails palms and soles

  • best to look in the hard palette of the mouth with a bright light

  • dark skin patients they might have a yellow sclera as a normal finding which is why you look at the hard palette

• cyanosis

  • blueish skin

  • lack of oxygen

  • caused by advanced heart disease, heart disease, genetic disorders

  • might see in the lips or oral mucosa

  • also seen in the nails and feet

  • central lack of oxygen, lack of blood flow to the periphery due to cold or something else you also see cyanosis

hair

• threads of keratin

• color from melanin production

  • hair turns white due to lack of melanin

• vellus hair

  • covers most of the body

  • no pigmented

• terminal hair

  • dark thick hair on the scalp, brows, pubic area, axel area

nails

• hard plates of keratin

• underlying color = pink, is from the vascular cells

Sebaceous glands

• sebum secretion

  • sebum is a fatty substance secreted through the hair follicles

  • job: lubricate the skin and hair, prevent water loss from the skin

  • found everywhere except the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet

Sweat glands

important for fluid balance and thermoregulation

eccrine glands

• simple sweat gland

• on skin surface

• a dilute saline

• controls body temp

apocrine glands

• a type of sweat gland

• most evident during puberty

• thick milky secretion that that open up into the hair follicles in the axel and anogenital areas and the nipples

• normal bacteria skin flora reacts with the apocrine sweat and that gives the musky odor

Physical examination Equipment needed

Strong direct lighting, gloves, penlight, and small centimeter ruler

Complete physical examination

• Skin assessment integrated throughout examination

• Separate intertriginous areas (areas with skinfolds) such as under large breasts, obese abdomen, and groin and inspect them thoroughly

  • These areas are dark, warm, and moist and provide perfect conditions for irritation or infection

• Always inspect feet, toenails, and between toes

Regional Examination (focused exam)

• Individuals may seek health care for skin problems and assessment focused on skin alone

• Assess skin as one entity; getting overall impression helps reveal distribution patterns Inspect lesions carefully

• With a rash, check all areas of body as you cannot rely on the history that rash is in only one location

Inspect

• Color-Know baseline

• General pigmentation, freckles, moles, birthmarks

• Widespread color change or localized

• Note color change over entire body skin, such as

  • pallor (pale)

  • erythema (red)

  • cyanosis (blue)

  • jaundice (yellow)

color changes: white (pallor)

• Reflects anemia

• lack of oxygen

• seen in fearful or stressed out people

  • vasoconstriction

• Exposure to cold can also lead to pallor

color changes: red (erythema)

• fear, local inflammation, emotional reaction

• cannot see inflammation in dark skin

  • must palpate to confirm inflation

color changes: Blue (cynosis)

• due to decreased perfusion

  • not enough oxygen is getting through the blood.

• seen on lips and nose

• Dark skin Mediterranean people have natural blueish tone lips

color changes: Yellow/orange (jaundice)

• Skin or the white part of the eyes looks yellow.

• This happens when there's too much bilirubin (a waste from red blood cells).

• It's normal in some newborns, but not in older kids or adults.

color changes: ethnic variations

• Brown skin: pale skin (pallor) might look yellow-brown and less red.

• Black skin: pale skin (pallor) might look gray or ashy.

Palpating skin

 

🌡 1. Temperature (Warm or Cold?)

• Use the backs of the hands to feel someone’s skin.

• Skin should feel warm and about the same on both sides.

• Cool hands/feet are okay if the room is cold.

If skin feels cold:

• Might mean hypothermia (too cold!)

  • Could be from ice packs or poor blood flow.

If skin feels hot:

• Might mean hyperthermia (too hot!)

  • Caused by a fever, exercise, or an infection like a sunburn.

 

💦 2. Moisture (Dry or Sweaty?)

• Diaphoresis means sweating a lot — like when you have a fever or you're running.

• Dehydration means you're low on water.

  • Look at the mouth and lips — if they're dry, you might be dehydrated.

 

✋ 3. Texture (How Does the Skin Feel?)

• Skin should be smooth and firm, like a nice clean table.

 

📏 4. Thickness (Thick or Thin?)

• Skin should be thin all over, except it's thicker on the palms and soles of your feet. That’s normal!

 

🧊 5. Edema (Swelling)

• Edema means there’s extra fluid under the skin, making it puffy or swollen.

• Press on the skin to see if it leaves a dent. That’s a clue!

 

🪢 6. Mobility and Turgor (Bouncy or Stuck?)

• Mobility is how easily the skin moves when you pinch it.

• Turgor is how fast it snaps back when you let go.

  • If it stays "tented" (doesn’t bounce back), it could mean dehydration.

Edema

when too much fluid builds up in the spaces between your skin and your muscles. It makes the skin look swollen or puffy.

 Localized Edema

• Happens in just one spot, usually from an injury (like a sprained ankle).

• Only one leg or one arm might be swollen.

Systemic Edema

• Means the swelling is all over or in more than one place.

• It often shows up in lower body parts like:

  • Feet

  • Legs

  • Back or bottom (sacral area) if lying down a lot

• Skin can look shiny, feel tight, and feel like it’s full of water.

Pitting Edema

• If you press your finger into the skin, it leaves a dent.

• This means the fluid is moveable, like water in a water balloon.

Nonpitting Edema (Brawny Edema)

• Pressing on the skin doesn’t leave a dent.

• This happens because proteins have gotten stuck with the fluid and made it thick and sticky, like jelly.

What is Turgor?

 is how quickly your skin bounces back after you pinch it.

It helps nurses see if someone might be dehydrated (missing water in the body).

How to Check Turgor

1. Pinch the skin just below the collarbone (that’s your clavicle).

• The skin should snaps back quickly.
  → That means good turgor and enough water in the body.

• The skin stays up like a little tent.
  → That’s called tenting and means poor turgor — a sign of dehydration

What is a Lesion?

any spot, bump, sore, or change on the skin that’s not normal.

• In a small area

• Different from the skin around it

If a nurse sees a lesion, they check:

• Pattern or shape
  → Are there a bunch together or just one?

• Size
  → Measured in centimeters (cm)

• Location
  → Is it in one place (local) or all over (generalized)?

• Color, smell, or fluid
  → Is it red, yellow, or has a smell? Is there ooze or pus?

• Depth
  → Is it flat, raised, or on a stalk (called pedunculated) like a tiny mushroom?

• Blanching
  → They press the lesion to see if it turns white, which shows blood flow is moving underneath.

Macules & Patches

• Macule = small, less than 1 cm

  • Examples: freckles, tiny red dots (petechiae)

• Patch = bigger than 1 cm

  • Example: big flat birthmarks

  

Papules & Plaques

You can feel these—raised spots!

• Papule = small bump, under 1 cm

  • Example: wart, mole you can feel

• Plaque = big flat bump, more than 1 cm

  • Example: psoriasis

Pustules

• These are raised, filled with pus

• Example: acne or pimples

Vesicles & Bullae

These are bubbles filled with clear fluid (serous fluid)!

• Vesicle = small (under 1 cm)

  • Example: chickenpox, cold sore

• Bulla = big bubble

  • Example: blister from a burn

  

 Nodules

• These are solid, deep lumps

• Bigger than 1 cm

• Grow in the dermis or deeper

• Example: deep wart, big mole

Urticaria/Wheal (Hives)

• Raised, itchy bumps that come and go

• From allergies, bug bites, or stress

• Look like welts on the skin

Burrows

• Tiny tunnels under the skin

• Caused by mites, like in scabies

• Might see tiny lines, papules, or pustules

• Known as the “7-year itch” — because it itches a lot

 Crusts

• Dried-up blood, pus, or fluid

• Like a scab after a scrape

• May be yellow, brown, or red depending on what leaked out

• 

Scales

• Flaky skin pieces

• Can be dry (like dandruff) or greasy

• Look white or tan, and happen when skin is shedding keratin too fast

Lichenification

• Skin becomes thick and rough

• Happens when you scratch a lot

• Feels like tree bark

• eczema

 Fissures

• A deep crack in the skin

• Can be painful

• Common in the corners of your mouth or heels

• 

 Erosions

• A shallow scoop out of the top layer of skin

• No scar left behind

• Looks wet and shiny

• 

Ulcers

• Deeper wound than an erosion

• Goes down into the dermis (middle skin layer)

• Leaves a scar

• 

Excoriations

• Scratches from fingernails or rubbing

• Usually superficial (top layer only)

• Can have some crust from dried fluid

Atrophic Scar

• Skin looks sunken or stretched, like in stretch marks (striae)

• Happens when your body doesn’t make enough collagen (the stuff that heals skin)

Keloid

• A big, puffy scar

• Grows past the original injury

• Looks smooth and shiny

• Happens when the body makes too much scar tissue

Vascular Lesions

spider angioma

telangiectasia (spider viens)

cherry angioma

Spider Angioma

• Looks like a red dot in the middle with thin red lines coming out—like a spider!

• May appear on the face, neck, or arms

• Common in pregnancy or with high estrogen

• Blanches (turns white) when you press on it

• Rarely found below the waist

Telangiectasia (Spider Veins)

• Looks like blue or purple squiggly lines

• Found on the legs or chest

• Does not pulse and does not blanch

• Common with aging or vein issues

Cherry Angioma

• Bright red or dark red bump

• Can be flat or raised

• Tiny! (About 1–3 mm)

• Found mostly on the trunk (chest, back, belly)

• May blanch when pressed

• More common with age, and they grow over time

Purpuric Lesions

petechaie

purpura

🚫 Blanching Reminder

Neither petechiae nor purpura turn white when pressed — this helps nurses tell them apart from other red spots like spider angiomas!

Petechiae (say: peh-tee-kee-eye)

• Tiny red, purple, or brown dots

• About the size of a pinhead (1–3 mm)

• Happen when tiny blood vessels break under the skin

• Causes:

  • Hard coughing or vomiting

  • Injections (shots)

  • Some medications

• Found on arms, legs, chest, or belly

• Can be hard to see on dark skin, so nurses check the abdomen

Purpura (say: per-pyoo-rah)

• Bigger patches of bleeding under the skin — larger than 3 mm

• Can look like a big bruise or like lots of petechiae stuck together

• Can be a sign of a serious bleeding problem

• Found anywhere on the body

• 

Ecchymosis (say: ek-i-mo-sis)

• Bigger than 3 mm

• Flat on the skin

• Color can change over time:

  • Starts red or purple

  • Then turns blue, green, yellow, and finally brown before fading

• Usually takes 1 to 3 weeks to go away

• Cause: Blood leaks under the skin after:

  • Bumping into something

  • Injury

  • Medical conditions or blood thinners

❌ Important Clue:

• Does not blanch (turn white) when you press on it

• That’s because the blood is trapped under the skin, not flowing

Lesions from Trauma or Abuse

📏 1. Pattern Injury

• A mark that matches the shape of the object that caused it

  • Example: belt marks, burns from a cigarette, or handprints

• These patterns help health workers figure out how someone got hurt

• May be a sign of abuse

 

🩸 2. Hematoma

• A swollen lump under the skin filled with trapped blood

• Feels like a raised bruise

• Often happens from a hit or fall

• May feel tender or painful

 

🟣 3. Contusion (Bruise)

• Flat, discolored spot caused by bleeding under the skin

• Changes color over time (like ecchymosis)

• You can have a contusion even without breaking the skin

• Can be caused by accidental bumps or intentional harm

 

 How Nurses Check Lesions (Skin Spots or Bumps)

🎨 1. Color

• What color is it?

  • Red that turns white when pressed = inflammation (like swelling or irritation)

📍 2. Location

• Where is it on the body?

  • Is it on open skin or in a skin fold (like under the arm or breast)?

📏 3. Size

• Measured using a ruler in millimeters (mm) or centimeters (cm)

🔼 4. Elevation

• Is it flat, raised, or bumpy?

🔢 5. Number

• How many are there?

  • Just one, a few, or lots?

🤲 6. Texture

• Does it feel smooth, rough, or scaly?

🧴 7. Type of Lesion

• Is it a pustule, macule, vesicle, ulcer, etc.?

  • (Nurses figure out what kind it is using everything above!)

🔷 8. Shape & Pattern

• Is it round, star-shaped, line-shaped, or in a group?

 Lesion Shapes & Patterns

confluent

clustered

discrete

linear

zosteriform

target

circular

Confluent

• Spots run (connected) together into one big area

• Like a bunch of blobs melting into each other

Clustered

• Grouped together in one area

• Think of it like grapes on a stem or chickenpox

Discrete

• Each lesion is separate and alone

• Like polka dots — spaced out and not touching

  

 Linear

Arranged in a line, like a scratch, cut, or streak

Zosteriform

• Follows a nerve line, often on one side of the body

• Common in shingles

 Target (or Bull’s Eye)

• Looks like a circle with a dot in the middle

• Seen in things like Lyme disease

Circular

• Round spot that starts in the middle and spreads out

• Example: ringworm

Bee Sting

• Usually causes a red, swollen bump

• It may be raised, warm, and itchy or painful

• Often shows a central puncture mark (where the stinger went in)

• Skin around it might look tight or shiny

🩹 This is a local reaction — your body is reacting to the bee venom!

Poison Ivy

• Causes an itchy, red rash that often looks linear (in lines or streaks)

• May have blisters or fluid-filled bumps

• Usually appears where the plant touched the skin

🧪 The rash is caused by urushiol oil from the plant — it’s an allergic reaction!

 Lyme Disease

• Early sign: a bull's-eye rash (called a target lesion)

  • Red outer ring with clearer center and maybe a dot in the middle

• Caused by a tick bite

• Rash can get larger over days (not usually itchy or painful)

🦠 This rash shows a possible infection from the bacteria that causes Lyme disease — it needs medical attention!

Inspection Hair

1. Color

   • Is the hair natural, dyed, or patchy in color?

2. Texture

   • Is the hair:

     • Fine (thin) or thick

     • Straight, curly, or kinky (tight coils)

     • Does it look shiny and healthy or dry and dull?

3. Distribution

   • Is the hair growing evenly or are there bald spots?

   • Is there hair in places where it normally should be, like on the head, eyebrows, arms?

4. Lesions (Problems on the scalp)

   • Are there any lice (tiny bugs)?

   • Is there dandruff (flaky skin)?

   • Any sores or bumps?

Abnormal Hair & Scalp Conditions

tinea capitis

alopecia areata

trichotillomania

pediculosis capitis

pseudofolliculitis

hirsutism

 Tinea Capitis (Scalp Ringworm)

• A fungal infection (not a real worm!)

• Causes scaly, round patches and hair loss

• Very contagious — can spread from person to person

• Looks like ring-shaped bald spots

Alopecia Areata

• A condition where hair suddenly falls out

• Leaves round bald spots

• The scalp looks healthy — just no hair in those areas

Trichotillomania

• Hair loss from pulling it out

• Usually done by the person themselves (a habit or stress reaction)

• The bald spots often look uneven or broken

 Pediculosis Capitis (Head Lice)

• Tiny bugs (lice) live in the hair and lay eggs (nits)

• Cause itching and red bumps on the scalp

• You might see tiny white nits stuck to hair strands

Pseudofolliculitis

• Also called razor bumps

• Happens when hairs curl back into the skin after shaving

• Can cause red bumps and ingrown hairs

Hirsutism

• When females grow too much body or facial hair (like a beard or chest hair)

• Often caused by a hormone or metabolic problem

Nail Assessment

👀 1. Shape & Contour

• Look at your index finger from the side (this is called the profile sign)

• The angle between your nail and finger should be about 160 degrees (like a smooth hill)

• If it’s curved too much or rounded, it could be a sign of health problems (like clubbing)

 

✨ 2. Consistency

• Healthy nails should feel smooth and firm

• Not brittle, split, or peeling

• Problems here could mean issues like nutrient deficiency or fungal infections

 

🎨 3. Color

• Nails should be pink underneath (that’s your nail bed)

• If they look blue, white, or yellow, something might be wrong

  • Could be a problem with oxygen, liver, or blood flow

 

💓 4. Capillary Refill Test

This checks how well blood flows to your fingers:

1. Press on the nail until it turns white

2. Let go

3. The pink color should come back right away (within 1–2 seconds)

• If it takes longer, it might mean poor circulation (blood isn't flowing well)

Paronychia

• The most common nail infection

• Happens when germs (like staph or strep bacteria) get into the skin around the nail

• Caused by:

  • Nail biting

  • Rough manicures

  • Picking at your nails

• The skin near the nail gets:

  • Red

  • Swollen

  • Tender or painful

  • Sometimes filled with pus

🧴 This needs to be kept clean and may need treatment if it gets worse!

Leukonychia

• Just a white spot on your nail

• Caused by minor trauma, like:

  • Hitting your nail

  • Biting your nails

• It’s not dangerous and goes away as your nail grows out

Clubbing (of the Nails and Fingers)

• The angle where your nail meets your skin becomes more than 180°
  (Normal is around 160°)

• Fingertips look rounder, bulging, or like they are floating

• The nails curve downward and feel soft or spongy

How Nurses Check It:

• Put both index fingers together like in the bottom right image.

  • If you can see a little diamond-shaped window, it’s normal.

  • If the window is gone (no gap), that’s a sign of clubbing.

 What Causes Clubbing?

• Low oxygen in the blood over a long time

• Diseases like:

  • Lung disease (like COPD or cancer)

  • Heart disease

  • Liver or digestive disorders

  • Sometimes even aging

Abnormal Nail Signs Nurses Look For

📉 Beau’s Lines

🕳 Pitting

📉 Beau’s Lines

• These are white, deep grooves or lines that go side to side across the nail

• They look like someone pressed a dent into the nail

• Caused by big body stress like:

  • Severe illness

  • Malnutrition (not enough healthy food)

  • Heart problems

  • Injury or trauma

• They show that nail growth stopped for a while while the body was healing

📅 They can help tell when the illness happened — the further out the line, the longer ago it was

 Pitting

• Looks like tiny holes or dots in the nail surface

• Like someone poked the nail with a pin

• Most often caused by psoriasis, a skin condition

• Can also happen with other autoimmune or skin diseases

Pressure Injuries (Bedsores) Happen because…

• The pressure blocks blood flow, and the skin and tissue underneath start to break down.

• It’s kind of like when you sit on your leg too long and it "falls asleep" — but if you never move, the skin can get hurt.

common areas for pressure injuries

Mostly on bony areas — places with very little fat or cushion, like:

• Sacrum (lower back/tailbone)

• Ischial tuberosities (bottom bones you sit on)

• Greater trochanters (sides of your hips)

• Heels (back of your feet)

• Tubes, oxygen masks, or braces can press on the skin if they’re tight or left too long

• These can cause pressure damage on the soft tissue or mucous membranes (like inside the mouth or nose)

What Causes a Pressure Injury?

1. Pressure

   • This is the main reason.

   • When you lie too long on one spot, it squeezes blood vessels shut, so the skin and tissue don’t get enough blood.

   • This causes damage or even death of the skin and tissue.

 

1. Friction

   • Happens when two surfaces rub together — like your skin rubbing against bedsheets.

   • This can make the skin red, raw, or scratched.

 

1. Shearing

   • This is a pulling force where the skin moves, but the bone stays still.

   • For example, if someone slides down in bed, the skin may stretch and tear underneath — even if it looks okay on top.

   • This can injure deep tissues near the bones.

 

1. Moisture (Complication)

   • Doesn’t cause pressure injuries by itself, but it makes everything worse.

   • Wet skin from sweat, pee, or wound drainage becomes soft and more likely to break down.

What Makes Pressure Injuries More Likely?

🚶‍♂ 1. Decreased Mobility

• If a person can’t move much, pressure stays in one spot too long

• More risk when there’s friction (rubbing) or shearing (sliding skin)

 

🧠 2. Decreased Sensation

• Some people can’t feel pain or pressure

• Happens with:

  • Spinal cord injuries

  • Brain problems (like coma or confusion)

  • Nerve diseases

• They don’t feel the need to move, so skin gets hurt

 

❤ 3. Decreased Blood Flow

• Blood carries oxygen, and skin needs that to stay healthy

• Less blood flow = higher risk

• Caused by:

  • Low blood pressure (hypotension)

  • Diabetes

  • Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries)

 

🚽 4. Fecal or Urinary Incontinence

• Poop or pee on the skin makes it wet and weak

• Leads to faster skin breakdown

 

🦴 5. Fractures or Contractures

• Broken bones or tight muscles (contractures) can stop someone from moving

• Less movement = more pressure

 

🥣 6. Poor Nutrition or Low Albumin

• If someone isn’t eating well, the skin doesn’t get the nutrients it needs

• Albumin is a protein that helps heal wounds — low levels = slow healing

stage 1 pressure injury

• Skin is not broken, but it looks red or discolored

• Might feel warmer or cooler, softer or firmer than the skin around it

• Person might say it hurts or burns

• In dark skin tones, it may not look red—so you check for firmness, pain, and warmth instead

stage 2 pressure injury

• Top layers of skin are broken (epidermis and maybe part of the dermis)

• Looks like a blister or a shallow open sore

• Skin barrier is partially broken

• Like a peeled sunburn or popped blister

stage 3 pressure injury

• Skin is fully broken — now it’s all the way down to the fat tissue

• May have dead tissue (necrosis)

• Does not go into muscle, but it's close

• Looks like a deep hole or crater

stage 4 pressure injury

• Goes through all skin layers and into muscle, bone, or nearby structures (like tendons)

• Very serious and can take months or years to heal

• May see tendons, muscle, or bone at the bottom

Unstageable Pressure Injury

• The skin is so covered with dead tissue (slough or eschar) that the nurse can’t tell how deep it goes

• Once the dead tissue is removed, it usually turns out to be a Stage 3 or Stage 4

• If the eschar is dry, stable, and not infected, it’s usually left alone to protect the area

Skin Cancer Risk Factors

1. ☀ High UV Exposure

   • From the sun or tanning beds

   • More time in the sun = higher risk

2. 👨‍👩‍👧 Family History

   • If someone in your family had melanoma, your risk is higher

3. 🔴 Atypical or Lots of Moles

   • If you have weird-looking moles or more than 50 moles, your risk goes up

4. 🔥 Burns Easily

   • People who burn instead of tan have higher risk

   • Especially those with natural blond or red hair

Who Has Some Natural Sun Protection?

• People with darker skin have more melanin (skin pigment), which helps block UV rays

• This means they have a lower risk for skin cancer

• White people have less melanin, so they’re more likely to get skin cancer

• Black and Hispanic people still can get skin cancer — it’s just less common

Skin Tumors

☀ 1. Actinic Keratosis

• Caused by too much sun exposure over time

• Looks rough, scaly, and crusty — like a dry patch

• Can be pink, red, or skin-colored

• Often found on faces, ears, hands, or arms (sunny spots)

• Considered a precancerous lesion
  → If untreated, it can turn into skin cancer

📍 Think of it like a "sun warning" spot on your skin

 

🧓 2. Seborrheic Keratosis

• Looks like a waxy, raised, and sometimes bumpy mole

• Can be tan, brown, or black

• Often looks like it’s been "stuck on" the skin

• Not dangerous — not cancer

• More common as people get older

📍 Think of it like a harmless "age spot" that just hangs out on the skin

Basal Cell Carcinoma

• ✅ Most common skin cancer

• 🐢 Grows very slowly

• ☀ Found on sun-exposed areas (like face, neck, ears)

• 👩 Fair-skinned adults, often under 40 years old

• 😣 Can become painful

• 🔴 Starts as a pink or red bump

• 🧬 Rarely spreads (metastasizes) or causes death

📍 Grows from the base layer (bottom) of the skin

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• ⚠ Less common, but more aggressive

• 🐰 Grows faster than BCC

• ☀ Happens on sun-damaged skin — like hands, scalp, ears

• 🔥 Can be:

  • Painful

  • Crusty

  • Bleeding

  • Inflamed

  • Can form an ulcer

• 🧬 Can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body if untreated

📍 Comes from the upper layer of the skin (epidermis)