Understanding Words for a Child's Skin Condition
Words used to describe skin conditions
Your child's healthcare provider may use some of the words below to describe your child's skin condition.
| Term | What it means |
| Abscess |
A closed, painful pocket of pus that may look like a pimple or blister |
| Atrophic |
Thin, wrinkled |
| Blister |
Fluid-filled bump under or within the top layer of skin |
| Crust or scab |
Formation of dried blood, pus, or other skin fluid over a break in the skin |
| Cyst |
Thin-walled lesion that contains fluid or other material, is under the skin, and may be deep in tissue |
| Excoriation |
A scratch |
| Hives, wheals, welts, urticaria |
Pink or white swelling of the skin |
| Lesion |
Any abnormal mark or change on the skin |
| Lichenification |
Skin that has thickened usually due to scratching |
| Macule |
Small, flat, discolored spot |
| Nodule/papule |
Small, solid, raised bump |
| Patch |
Large, flat, discolored area |
| Pustule (pimple) |
Inflamed lesion that appears to contain pus |
| Plaque |
Large, raised area of skin |
| Scales |
Dead skin cells that form flakes |
| Scar |
Fibrous tissue that has formed after a skin injury |