Dermatology Essentials for Medical Assistants

By Richard M Krathen

Dermatology Essentials for Medical Assistants is a must-read for anyone wanting a head start in dermatology. This easy-reading guide will allow any medical assistant to hit the ground running in a new office. The book contains information on basic dermatology terms, clinic flow, procedure set up and break down, and everything else you

• Language: English
• Publisher: SkillBites
• Release date: Aug 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781942489856

Book preview

Chapter 1

Basic Vocabulary

Dermatology is an exciting field of medicine with a lot of information that other doctors (and their staff) usually aren’t familiar with. That makes dermatology different from many other fields of medicine. Internal medicine and general practice doctors may treat a patient for high blood pressure, as will cardiologists (heart specialists). It is much less likely, however, that a general practice or internal medicine doctor will comfortably treat a patient for eczema, warts, or skin cancer. Because dermatology is unique, there are a lot of terms, definitions, and diagnoses that are found almost exclusively within dermatology offices.

The skin is made of up many different layers. The top layer is called the epidermis, which itself has many layers, but those details are beyond the scope of this book. The next layer down is called the dermis, which has blood vessels, sweat glands and ducts, oil glands, and hair follicles. The fat layer, also known as the adipose layer, is below that.

In dermatology, we describe what we see on the patient with specific terms. These terms are used in the progress notes on the patient’s physical examination. Some medical assistants are required to be very familiar with these terms. The basic important descriptive terms to describe areas of concern are listed below.

1. Macule: A small (under 1 cm) flat spot on the skin.

2. Papule: A small (under 1 cm) raised spot on the skin.

3. Patch: A large (over 1 cm) flat spot on the skin.

4. Plaque: A large (over 1 cm) raised spot on the skin.

5. Nodule: A small (under 1 cm) solid bump on or below the skin.

6. Tumor: A large (over 1 cm) solid bump on or below the skin.

7. Vesicle: A small (under 1 cm) blister on the skin surface with clear fluid inside.

8. Bulla: A large (over 1 cm) blister on the skin surface with clear fluid inside.

9. Pustule: A pimple-like spot on the skin, with yellow to white fluid inside.

In addition, it is important to note any other changes on the skin surface that characterize the spots and bumps described with the above terms—for example, if the spots are scaly, scratched, or crusted. The list of terms below can be used to get more specific.

1. Scale: Flaky skin on the surface of the area of interest.

2. Crust: Stuck-together clumps of surface material.

3. Excoriation: Areas that look like they have been scratched.

4. Fissures: Cracks in the skin surface.

5. Ulcer: An open wound that goes below the surface of the skin (or possibly deeper).

6. Lichenification: Thickened skin that more clearly shows skin markings or lines.

7. Atrophy: Thinner skin that usually has a more wrinkled appearance.

8. Telangiectasia: Thin red blood vessels visible at the surface of the skin.

The color of the spots on the skin is also generally used to help in the description. Erythematous (red), violaceous (purple), and other common colors, like blue, gray, yellow, or green, are often used. Sometimes, the amount of pigment (color) in the skin is used to describe these areas as well. Hyperpigmented (more pigment than in the surrounding normal skin) and hypopigmented (less pigment than in the surrounding skin) are commonly used terms.

The above definitions include nearly all of the terms used in dermatology