Intro

Question 1

What is Mohs surgery?

Answer 1

• focuses on excision of skin cancers using a tissue-sparing technique that allows introperative assessment of 100% of peripheral and deep tumor margins

Question 2

Why is your skin important?

Answer 2

• largest organ of the body
• good indicator of our general health and wellbeing
• exhibits impt clues to diseases of the various systems
• can be an impt source of disability and discomfort

Question 3

4 main changes of skin that are good indicators of general health?

Answer 3

• pallor
• cyanosis
• jaundice
• changes in pigment

Question 4

Skin assessment - impt hx questions?

Answer 4

• medical hx: previous skin conditions, any medical problems
• family hx: hereditary component, other family members recent onset of similar sxs
• meds: oral, topical, OTC, herbal
• social: occupation, hobbies, travel, living conditions/home background, exposure to new foods, cleaning products, grooming products

Question 5

How should you describe skin lesions?

Answer 5

by:

• site: face, trunk, limbs
• number of lesions
• extent: localized, regionalized, widespread, disseminated, generalized
• distribution: symmetrical, asymmetrical, sun-exposed, flexures, extensors
• arrangement: discrete, coalescing, annular, grouped, linear, serpiginous
• type of lesion
• texture
• color
• border

Question 6

What are primary skin lesions?

Answer 6

• macule
• patch
• papule
• nodule
• plaque
• wheal
• cyst
• vesicle
• bullae
• pustule

Question 7

What are secondary skin lesions?

Answer 7

• telangiectasia
• crust
• scale
• induration
• erosion
• ulceration
• atrophy

Question 8

Diff ways of feeling the skin lesion?

Answer 8

• feel surface with fingertips
• feel the thickness b/t your finge and thumb
• press firmly on areas of redness (blanche test)
• scratch scale or pick off crust

Question 9

4 groups of lesions?

Answer 9

• flat: (not palpable) macules and patches
• raised: papules, nodules, plaques
• fluid filled: vesicles, bullae, pustules
• broken surface (epidermis and dermis is lost): erosion, ulcers, fissures

Question 10

What are surface feature changes of the skin lesion?

Answer 10

• normal: smooth like surrounding skin
• abnormal: surface shows change from normal -
  go on to be divided into:
  abnormal stratum corneum - scale, keratin, and maceration
  or
  broken epidermal surface:
  exudate, crust, slough
• change in thickness: warty, lichenification, atrophy

Question 11

Diff colors of lesions and main causes?

Answer 11

• pink/red/purple: due to blood
• yellow: lipids or bilirubin
• white: due to loss of pigment
• brown/black, blue/grey: due to pigment

Question 12

Assessment of border and center of lesion?

Answer 12

• border: look at edge of lesion or rash

- center: uniformity of involvement throughout lesion or rash

Question 13

What should be noted about the shape of the lesion?

Answer 13

• surface: annular, round, oval, irregular
• profile: spherical, dome, pedunculated
• distribution of lesions: grouped, linear, dermatomal