Article Sections

Introduction

Dermatologic terminology is essential for accurate communication and clinical reasoning.  Dermatologic descriptions typically incorporate the following elements:

  • Primary morphology (eg, macule, papule).
  • Size.
  • Demarcation (eg, well demarcated, poorly demarcated).
  • Color.
  • Secondary morphology (eg, erosion, ulceration).
  • Distribution (eg, photodistributive, generalized).

This article provides an overview of skin anatomy and the terminology used to describe skin rashes and cutaneous findings.

Structures of the skin

The skin consists of 3 primary layers ( Figure 1): epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue.

Epidermis

The outermost layer, the epidermis, is composed primarily of keratinocytes ( Figure 2).  It includes (from deep to superficial):

  • Stratum basale:  Composed of a single layer of basal keratinocytes undergoing mitosis, melanocytes (which give skin its color), and Merkel cells (mechanoreceptors involved in the sensation of touch) ( Figure 3

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