Skin Disorders

The skin remains to be among the most susceptible parts of the body. Although rarely fatal, skin disorders still come with great discomforts and may lead to chronic disabilities. Further, due to the fact that the skin is highly exposed, the presence of skin disorders causes psychological stress to some patients.

Since the skin covers the whole external part of the body and weighs about six pounds, it is considered to be the largest organ of the body. Aside from providing protection from heat infection, light, and injury, the skin is also known to: store fat, vitamin D, and water; sense pleasant stimulation and pain; and regulate temperature in the body.

The characteristics of the skin are varied. That is, a person’s body will have different texture, color, and thickness of skin, depending on the body part. For instance, the palms and the soles have skin with thicker layers. But even if the skin consists of three layers (fat layer, epidermis, and dermis), each performing its own function, it is still highly vulnerable to develop certain skin disorders.

There are several skin disorders, though some are more common than others. Some of these may necessitate clinical care or medical attention by a health care professional. The doctor may ask the patient to describe the skin disorder, along with its location on the body. To be able to describe the dermatological condition more precisely, the patient needs to know the common terms to be able to appropriately express their skin disorder symptoms. Some of the most common descriptions include: blister, cyst, atrophic, raised bumps, scales, patch, scab or crust, wheals or hives, scar, macule, excoriation, papule or nodule, pustule or pimple, and lichenification.

Skin disorders include a variety of conditions, which may either be benign or serious, and those which are simply symptoms of an underlying disease. Regardless what type of skin disorder a patient has, it will not only affect his physical health but will also have an impact on his emotional well-being.

Due to the fact that certain skin disorders are harder to treat than others, doctors may recommend patients to undergo certain tests to help treat their conditions. The different skin tests serve to determine the specific element that has caused the problem, or help in the diagnosis of specific diseases.

Patch testing is one of the most common tests done on patients. It is usually performed to aid in the diagnosis of allergies. This is done by leaving adhesive patches of known irritants on the skin for some time to check for any skin reaction.

Skin biopsy is done by removing a portion of the diseased skin to be used during laboratory analysis. The skin is removed with the use of either a curette or scalpel, after the patient has been administered with local anesthetic. This particular skin test is recommended to help diagnose the presence of skin disorders, such as skin cancer.

Portions of nails, hair, or skin, or drainage from wounds may undergo culture tests to check for the presence of infection-causing organisms.

Abnormal skin pigmentation and skin growths may occur from birth, or may start to appear later on in life. While these are mostly harmless, pigmentation and skin growth issues should be examined every so often to check if there are any changes which may signal the onset of cancerous cells of the skin.

Currently, there are millions of individuals who are suffering from the different types of skin disorders. And while most have the non life-threatening skin issues, they are still affected by these conditions in more ways than one. After all, skin disorders are the most obvious medical conditions.