Raw, broken skin caused by repeated scratching, which may bleed or ooze in severe atopic dermatitis, is called excoriation.
Missing Word
excoriation
Excoriation is skin damage from scratching. It breaks the skin barrier and opens a path for bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, so controlling itch and watching for secondary infection are key parts of eczema care.
Category: Inflammatory Skin Disorders
Question 2
Thick, leathery skin that develops in areas a patient scratches over and over is called lichenification.
Missing Word
lichenification
Lichenification is skin thickening from repeated scratching or rubbing. It is seen in chronic atopic dermatitis and the chronic stage of contact dermatitis.
Category: Inflammatory Skin Disorders
Question 3
Generalized exfoliative dermatitis, in which red, scaling skin covers nearly the whole body, is also called erythroderma.
Missing Word
erythroderma
Erythroderma is widespread redness and scaling of the skin. It is potentially life-threatening because the loss of the skin barrier disturbs fluid, electrolyte and temperature balance.
Category: Inflammatory Skin Disorders
Question 4
Controlled exposure to ultraviolet light, used to slow skin cell growth in psoriasis, is called phototherapy.
Missing Word
phototherapy
Phototherapy treats psoriasis and some other skin disorders with ultraviolet light. The nurse helps coordinate treatment sessions with the care team.
Category: Inflammatory Skin Disorders
Question 5
The vesicular rash of herpes zoster follows the path of a single dermatome on one side of the body and does not cross the midline.
Missing Word
midline
Shingles is a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus in one sensory nerve root, so the rash appears in a band on one side of the trunk or face. A rash that stays on one side and stops at the midline is a key feature that helps distinguish it from other blistering rashes.
Category: Skin Infections
Question 6
Heat denatures proteins and damages collagen in burned skin, and the resulting death of the cells is called necrosis.
Missing Word
necrosis
Necrosis is cell death from injury. In a burn, the central zone of coagulation consists of necrotic tissue that cannot recover.
Category: Burn Assessment
Question 7
Burns caused by sunlight or by some cancer treatments are classified as radiation burns.
Missing Word
radiation
Burns are grouped by cause as thermal, chemical, electrical or radiation burns. Sunburn and some cancer therapies produce radiation burns.
Category: Burn Assessment
Question 8
A skin graft taken from the patient's own unburned skin, rather than from a donor, is an autograft.
Missing Word
autograft
An autograft uses the patient's own skin, usually harvested from an unburned donor site, so the immune system does not reject it. Both the graft site and the donor site need wound care and monitoring for infection.
Category: Burn Care
Question 9
Warts on the sole of the foot, which can become painful from the pressure and friction of walking, are plantar warts.
Missing Word
plantar
Plantar warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, like other common warts. Weight bearing pushes them inward, so they can hurt with walking; options range from observation to topical acids and cryotherapy.
Category: Skin Tumors and Procedures
Question 10
Herpes simplex infection of the eye can cause keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea that requires referral to an eye specialist.
Missing Word
keratitis
Keratitis is inflammation of the cornea. Herpes simplex keratitis threatens vision, so ophthalmology referral is needed.
Category: Skin Infections
Question 11
Moles, which patients are taught to check regularly for changes in shape, border, color or size that could signal melanoma, are also called nevi.
Missing Word
nevi
Nevi are common pigmented skin lesions that are usually benign. Because a melanoma can resemble or arise from a mole, patients are taught to watch for asymmetry, irregular borders, color variation, enlarging size and any change, and to report concerning lesions for biopsy.
Category: Skin Tumors and Procedures
Question 12
The pigment melanin, made by specialized cells in the outer layer of the skin, gives skin its color and helps shield cells from ultraviolet damage.
Missing Word
melanin
Melanin is produced by melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Its amount determines skin color and changes how findings such as redness, pallor and bruising look, so nurses adjust their skin assessment for patients with darker skin.
Category: Skin Structure
Question 13
A full-thickness burn that extends all the way around an arm or leg is described as circumferential, and the nurse checks distal pulses because swelling beneath the stiff burned tissue can cut off circulation.
Missing Word
circumferential
A circumferential burn encircles a limb or the chest. The rigid burned tissue cannot stretch as swelling develops, so pressure rises inside the limb and can cause compartment syndrome, which the nurse watches for with frequent neurovascular checks.
Category: Burn Assessment
Question 14
A keloid is a firm, rubbery overgrowth of scar tissue that extends beyond the original wound because of abnormal healing.
Missing Word
keloid
A keloid forms when wound healing produces excess tissue. It may be treated with topical corticosteroids and compression, or removed with cryotherapy, excision or laser.
Category: Skin Tumors and Procedures
Question 15
Mechanically sanding away the outer layers of skin to smooth acne scars is called dermabrasion.
Missing Word
dermabrasion
Dermabrasion resurfaces the skin to treat acne scars, actinic keratosis and other scars. Afterward the skin is covered with saline-soaked gauze or an occlusive ointment.
Category: Skin Tumors and Procedures