Types of Skin Lesions

What is a Lesion?

A Lesion is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism, usually damaged by disease or trauma.

What are the Types of Lesions:

Primary Lesions:

1. Macule – skin color change without elevation.
2. Papule - is solid, raised spot on the skin that is less than 1 centimeter wide.
3. Plaque – raised, flat lesion form from merging papules or nodules.
4. Nodule – larger than papule. Raised solid Lesion extending deeper into the dermis.
5. Tumor – larger than a nodule. Elevated firm lesion that may or may not be easily demarcated.
6. Wheal (Hive) – fleeting skin elevation that is irregularly shaped because of edema.
7. Vesicle (Blister) – elevated, sharply defined lesion containing serous fluid.
8. Bulla (plural: Bullae) – large, elevated, fluid–filled lesion greater than 1cm.
9. Cyst – elevated, thick-walled lesion containing fluid or semisolid matter.
10. Pustule – elevated lesion less than 1cm containing purulent material.
    

Secondary Lesion:

1. Scale – dried fragments of sloughed epidermal cells, irregular in shape and in size and white, tan, yellow or silver in color.
2. Scar – mark left on the skin after healing. Replacement of destroyed tissue by fibrous tissue.
3. Crust – dried serum, sebum, blood or pus on skin surface producing a temporary barrier to environment.
4. Erosion – a moist, demarcated, depressed area due to loss of partial - or full thickness epidermis.
5. Ulcer – irregularly shaped, exudative, depressed lesion in which entire epidermis an upper layer of dermis are lost.
6. Excoriation – superficial, linear abrasion of epidermis.
7. Fissure – deep linear split through epidermis into dermis.
8. Atrophy – wasting of epidermis in which skin appears thin and transparent or of dermis in
   which there is a depressed area.