Medical Terminology Chapter 12

Integument

The skin or external covering of the body

Cutaneous

Pertaining to the skin

Adip/o

Fat (Word Part) (A)

Lip/o

Fat (Word Part) (L)

Axill/o

Axilla (Armpit) (Word Part)

Bacter/i

Bacteria (Word Part) (i after /) Ends in R

Bacteri/o

Bacteria (Word Part) Ends in I

cutene/o

Skin (Word Part) (C)

Derm/a

Skin (Word Part) (D) A after /

Derm/o

Skin (Word Part) (D)

Dermat/o

Skin (Word Part) (D) 6 letters

Erythemat/o

Erythema or redness (Word Part)

Follicul/o

Follicle (Word Part)

Ichthy/o

Fish (Word Part)

Kerat/o

Horny tissue (Tissue containing Keratin) (Word Part)

Onych/o

Nail (Word Part) (O)

Ungu/o

Nail (Word Part) (U)

Pil/o

Hair (Word Part) (P)

Trich/o

Hair (Word Part) (T)

Seb/o

Sebum (Word Part)

Seps/o

Infection (Word Part)

Sept/o

Infection or septum (Word Part)

Xer/o

Dry (Word Part)

Pilomotor muscles

Muscles that cause erection of the hairs of the skin in response to a chilly environment, emotional stimulus, or skin irritation

Hair

What protects the scalp from injury

Axilla

Term that means armpit

Sudoriferous glands

Glands that produce sweat

Perspiration

The term for the act of sweating to regulate body temperature

Sebaceous glands

Glands that arise from hair follicles and produce sebum

Sebum

Oily substance produced by sebaceous glands that inhibits the growth of bacteria and is responsible for lubrication of the skin

Follicles

Tiny tubes of epidermal cells that contain the root of the hair shaft

Ungual

Pertaining to the nail

Lesion

Any visible, localized abnormality of the skin, such as a wound, rash, or sore

Circumscribed lesion

Type of lesion that is well defined, giving the appearance of being able to draw a circle around it

Verruca

A benign warty skin lesion with a rough surface caused by a common contagious virus

Nodules

A marble-like solid lesion more than 1 cm wide and deep

Cysts

A sac filled with fluid or semisolid material

Macules

Nonraised, discolored spots less than 1 cm in diameter (e.g., freckles)

Papules

Elevated lesion less than 1 cm in diameter (e.g., moles)

Plaques

Elevated and circumscribed patches more than 1 cm in diameter (e.g., dandruff)

Vesicles

Blisters less than 1 cm and filled with clear fluid

Bullae

Blisters greater than 1 cm and filled with clear liquid

Pustules

Vesicles filled with cloudy fluid or pus

Wheals

Irregularly shaped, slightly raised lesions that usually itch and are seen often in an allergic skin eruption, and can be caused by food, insect stings, and certain medications

Atrophy

Wasting of the epidermis; skin appears thin and transparent and loss of skin markings

Ulcers

Deep, irregular erosions that extend into the dermis

Fissures

Deep linear splits through the epidermis into the dermis

Scales

Dried fragments of sloughed epidermis that are whitish and irregular in size and shape

Keloids

Excessive overgrowth of unsightly scar tissue, after a skin injury

Laceration

Torn, jagged wound

Incision

Smooth-edged wound produced by a sharp instrument

Aseptic

Term that means free of pathogenic organisms

Puncture

Wound made by piercing

Abrasion

Skin that is scraped or rubbed away by friction

Contusion

Caused by injury to the body that does not break the skin and is characterized by swelling and discoloration (bruise)

Skin graft

Skin is implanted over areas where skin has been lost

Superficial burn

Burn that is only the epidermis, red, no immediate blisters, but may blister after 24 hours

Deep burn

Burn that extends into the dermis, red and moist, and blistered

Full thickness burn

Burn throughout the dermis, and epidermis, sometimes into subcutaneous fat layer, hard, dry, and leathery. Can be white, deep red, yellow brown, or black

Deep full thickness burn

Burn where no skin layers remain. Underlying bone and muscle are damaged. Wound is blackened and depressed. Muscle and bone are exposed

Abscess

Cavity that contains pus caused by an infectious microorganism and surrounded by inflamed tissue

Albinism

Absence of normal pigmentation, present at birth, caused by a defect in melanin precursors. The person affected by this is an albino

Cellulitis

Acute infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue characterized most often by local heat, redness, pain, and swelling

Contact dermatitis

Skin rash resulting from exposure to an irritant or to a sensitizing agent that initiates an allergic response, such as poison ivy and allergic reaction to nickel in jewelry

Cyanosis

Bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by lack of oxygenated blood to tissues

Dermatitis

Inflammatory condition of the skin

Discoid lupus erythematosus

(DLE) chronic disorder, primarily of the skin, characterized by lesions that are covered with scales. The disorder was so named because of the reddish facial rash that appears in some patients giving them a wolflike appearance

Frostbite

Damage to the skin, tissues, and blood vessels as a result of prolonged exposure to cold

Furuncle

Localized skin infection originating in a gland or hair follicle and characterized by pain, redness, and swelling. Also called a boil

Hypopigmentation

Decreased tissue pigmentation, but not complete absence of skin color as in albinism

Ichthyosis

Any of several generalized skin disorders marked by skin the is dry and scaly, resembling fish skin

Lipoma

Benign tumor consisting of mature fat cells

Lyme disease

Infection transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. A red macule or papule appears at the bite site and is accompanied by flulike symptoms. Other symptoms appear weeks or months later

Malignant melanoma

Any of a group of malignant tumors that originate in the skin and that are composed of melanocytes. Excessive sun exposure increases the risk of melanoma

Mycodermatitis

Inflammation of the skin caused by a fungus

Necrosis

Death of areas of damaged or diseased tissue or bone surrounded by healthy tissue

Pediculosis

Infestation by lice and named for a genus of sucking lice, pediculus. There are head lice, body lice, and pubic lice

Petechiae

Tiny purple or red spots appearing on the skin as a result of tiny hemorrhages within dermal or submucosal layers

Psoriasis

Common chronic skin disorder characterized by circumscribed red patches covered by thick, dry, silvery scales

Scabies

Contagious dermatitis caused by the itch mite that is transmitted by close contact

Scleroderma

Chronic hardening and thickening of the skin

Skin cancer

Any of several neoplasms of the skin; the most common and most curable malignancies

Urticaria

Skin eruption characterized by wheals of varying shapes and sizes with well-defined margins and pale centers. Its causes include drugs, foods, and insect bites. Also called hives

Xerosis

Minor irritation of the skin characterized by excessive dryness, which can lead to scaling, thinning, and injury

Acne vulgaris

Skin disease characterized by blackheads, whiteheads, and pus filled lesions; common where sebaceous glands are numerous; acne

Folliculitis

Inflammation of a hair follicle

Hidradenitis

Inflammation of a sweat gland caused by occlusion of the pores with subsequent bacterial infection of the gland

Onychomycosis

Fungal condition of the nails

Onychopathy

Any disease of the nails

Seborrhea

Excessive production of sebum

Seborrheic dermatitis

Inflammatory condition of the skin that begins with the scalp but may involve other areas, particularly the eyebrows; commonly called dandruff

Trichosis

Any abnormal condition of hair growth, including baldness or excessive hair growth in an unusual place

Liposuction

Removes adipose tissue with a suction pump device and is used primarily as cosmetic surgery to reduce or removed localized areas of fat

Topical medications

Drugs placed directly on the skin

Bacteriostatic

Inhibiting the growth of bacteria

Bactericidal

Killing bacteria

Asepsis

Absence of germs

Sepsis

Infection or contamination. An infected wound is described as septic

Antimicrobial

Medicine applied to broken skin to prevent infection

Antiperspirants

Compounds that act against or inhibit perspiration