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Skin, Hair and Nails Glossary
Terms used to explain Skin, Hair and Nails can sometimes be confusing. To help you fully understand the articles and features related to this very important health topic, we have compiled a glossary of terms that can help.
used for a preparation of isotretinoin
Function: noun
: a disorder of the skin caused by inflammation of the skin glands and hair follicles; specif: a form found chiefly in adolescents and marked by pimples esp. on the face
Function: adjective
1 a: of, relating to, or caused by alcohol <alcoholic[1] hepatitis>
b: containing alcohol
2: affected with alcoholism
pl -gies
1: altered bodily reactivity (as hypersensitivity) to an antigen in response to a first exposure <his bee-venom allergy may render a second sting fatal>
2: exaggerated or pathological reaction (as by sneezing, respiratory embarrassment, itching, or skin rashes) to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual
3: medical practice concerned with allergies
ankylosing spondylitis
Function: noun
: rheumatoid arthritis of the spine —called also Marie-Strümpell disease, rheumatoid spondylitis
an*ti*bi*ot*ic
Pronunciation: \-bī-ˈät-ik; -bē-\
Function: adjective
1: tending to prevent, inhibit, or destroy life
2: of or relating to antibiotics or to antibiosis
2antihistamine
Function: noun
: any of various compounds that oppose the actions of histamine and are used esp. for treating allergic reactions (as hay fever), cold symptoms, and motion sickness
1: see: bacteriumnot usu. used technically<caused by a bacteria[2] borne by certain tiny ticks Wall Street Jour.> <a single bacteria[2]—there are roughly 200 in each cough—apparently can infect a person Cheryl Clark>
2plcap: a domain in the system of classification dividing all organisms into three major domains of life that includes the prokaryotes that are bacteria but not those that are archaebacteria or archaea compare eubacteria
Function: noun
: a biological product (as a globulin, serum, vaccine, antitoxin, or antigen) used in the prevention or treatment of disease
1: a small plug of sebum blocking the duct of a sebaceous gland esp. on the face compare milium
2: a destructive disease of turkeys and related birds caused by a protozoan of the genus Histomonas (H. meleagridis) that invades the intestinal ceca and liver —called also enterohepatitis, histomoniasis, infectious enterohepatitis
Function: trademark
used for a preparation of botulinum toxin type A
Function: noun
1: a cosmetic procedure for the removal of facial blemishes and wrinkles involving the application of a caustic chemical and esp. an acid (as trichloroacetic acid) to the skin
1 a: marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time, and often by slowly progressing seriousness : not acute <chronic[1] indigestion> <her hallucinations became chronic[1]>
b: suffering from a disease or ailment of long duration or frequent recurrence <a chronic[1] arthritic> <chronic[1] sufferers from asthma>
2 a: having a slow progressive course of indefinite duration used esp. of degenerative invasive diseases, some infections, psychoses, and inflammations <chronic[1] heart disease> <chronic[1] arthritis> <chronic[1] tuberculosis> compare acute 2b(1)
b: infected with a disease-causing agent (as a virus) and remaining infectious over a long period of time but not necessarily expressing symptoms <chronic[1] carriers may remain healthy but still transmit the virus causing hepatitis B>
: tar obtained by distillation of bituminous coal and used in the treatment of some skin diseases by direct local application to the skin
Function: noun
: an insoluble fibrous protein of vertebrates that is the chief constituent of the fibrils of connective tissue (as in skin and tendons) and of the organic substance of bones and yields gelatin and glue on prolonged heating with water
Function: noun
: any of various adrenal-cortex steroids (as corticosterone, cortisone, and aldosterone) that are divided on the basis of their major biological activity into glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids
: any of a class of immunoregulatory proteins (as interleukin, tumor necrosis factor, and interferon) that are secreted by cells esp. of the immune system
: scaly white or grayish flakes of dead skin cells esp. of the scalp; also: the condition marked by excessive shedding of such flakes and usu. accompanied by itching
Function: noun
: surgical removal of skin blemishes or imperfections (as scars or tattoos) by abrasion (as with sandpaper or wire brushes)
: the sensitive vascular inner mesodermic layer of the skin —called also corium, cutis, cutis vera, derma
ede*ma
Function: noun
pl -mas
also -ma*ta
Pronunciation: \-mət-ə\
: abnormal redness of the skin due to capillary congestion (as in inflammation)
: surgical removal or resection (as of a diseased part)
flare–up
Pronunciation: \-ˌəp\
: a sudden increase in the symptoms of a latent or subsiding disease <a flare-up of malaria>
: a transitory sensation of extreme heat (as in response to some drugs or in some physiological states) <menopausal flush[1]es>
1: an uneasy irritating sensation in the upper surface of the skin usu. held to result from mild stimulation of pain receptors
2: a skin disorder accompanied by an itch; esp: a contagious eruption caused by an itch mite of the genus Sarcoptes (S. scabiei) that burrows in the skin and causes intense itching
1la*ser
Pronunciation: \ˈlā-zər\
Function: noun
: a device that utilizes the natural oscillations of atoms or molecules between energy levels for generating coherent electromagnetic radiation usu. in the ultraviolet, visible, or infrared regions of the spectrum
: an abnormal change in structure of an organ or part due to injury or disease; esp: one that is circumscribed and well defined
: the process by which skin becomes hardened and leathery or lichenoid usu. as a result of chronic irritation; also: a patch of skin so modified
-cat*ed
-cat*ing
: to make smooth, slippery, or oily in motion, action, or appearance <lubricate the eye> <lubricate the skin>
: any of various black, dark brown, reddish brown, or yellow pigments of animal or plant structures (as skin, hair, the choroid, or a raw potato when exposed to air); esp: any of numerous animal pigments that are essentially polymeric derivatives of indole formed by enzymatic modification of tyrosine
: an epidermal cell that produces melanin compare melanoblast
Function: noun
1 a (1): the natural cessation of menstruation occurring usu. between the ages of 45 and 55 with a mean in Western cultures of approximately 51
(2): the physiological period in the life of a woman in which such cessation and the accompanying regression of ovarian function occurs —called also climacteric, compare perimenopause
b: cessation of menstruation from other than natural causes (as from surgical removal of the ovaries)
2: see: andropause
1: a condition that is marked by recurrent usu. unilateral severe headache often accompanied by nausea and vomiting and followed by sleep, that tends to occur in more than one member of a family, and that is of uncertain origin though attacks appear to be precipitated by dilatation of intracranial blood vessels
2: an episode or attack of migraine <suffers from migraines> —called also sick headache
pl -ti*tis*es
or -tit*i*des
Pronunciation: \-ˈtit-ə-ˌdēz\
: a chronic allergic disorder of the skin characterized by patches of an itching lichenoid eruption and occurring esp. in persons of nervous and emotional instability
: a small mass of rounded or irregular shape: as
a: a small abnormal knobby bodily protuberance (as a tumorous growth or a calcification near an arthritic joint)
b: the nodulus of the cerebellum
Function: noun
: a salve or unguent for application to the skin; specif: a semisolid medicinal preparation usu. having a base of fatty or greasy material
Or*tho Tri–Cy*clen
Pronunciation: \ˌor-thō-ˌtrī-ˈsī-klən\
used for a preparation of norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol
: a small solid usu. conical elevation of the skin caused by inflammation, accumulated secretion, or hypertrophy of tissue elements
Function: noun
pl -pies
: the application of light for therapeutic purposes
1: a small inflamed elevation of the skin : see: papule; esp: see: pustule
2: a swelling or protuberance like a pimple
: a hollow or indentation esp. in a surface of an organism: as
a: a natural hollow in the surface of the body
b: one of the indented scars left in the skin by a pustular disease : see: pockmark
c: a usu. developmental imperfection in the enamel of a tooth that takes the form of a small pointed depression
: a minute opening esp. in an animal or plant; esp: one by which matter passes through a membrane
Function: noun
pl -a*ses
Pronunciation: \-ˌsēz\
: a chronic skin disease characterized by circumscribed red patches covered with white scales
psoriatic arthritis
Function: noun
: a severe form of arthritis accompanied by inflammation, psoriasis of the skin or nails, and a negative test for rheumatoid factor —called also psoriasis arthropathica
Ret*in–A
Pronunciation: \ˌret-ən-ˈā\
used for a preparation of tretinoin
: any of various synthetic or naturally occurring analogs of vitamin A
Function: noun
: a chronic inflammatory disorder involving esp. the skin of the nose, forehead, and cheeks that is characterized by congestion, flushing, telangiectasia, and marked nodular swelling of tissues esp. of the nose —called also acne rosacea
Function: noun
pl scabies
: contagious itch or mange esp. with exudative crusts that is caused by parasitic mites and esp. by a mite of the genus Sarcoptes (S. scabiei)
sebaceous gland
Function: noun
: any of the small sacculated glands lodged in the substance of the derma, usu. opening into the hair follicles, and secreting an oily or greasy material composed in great part of fat which softens and lubricates the hair and skin
seborrheic dermatitis
Function: noun
: a red, scaly, itchy dermatitis chiefly affecting areas (as of the face, scalp, or chest) with many large sebaceous glands
stasis dermatitis
Function: noun
: inflammation of skin caused by slowing or stoppage of blood flow to the affected area
Function: noun
: any of numerous natural or synthetic compounds containing a 17-carbon 4-ring system and including the sterols and various hormones and glycosides see anabolic steroid
2systemic
Function: noun
: a systemic pesticide
T cell
Function: noun
: any of several lymphocytes (as a helper T cell) that differentiate in the thymus, possess highly specific cell-surface antigen receptors, and include some that control the initiation or suppression of cell-mediated and humoral immunity (as by the regulation of T and B cell maturation and proliferation) and others that lyse antigen-bearing cells —called also T lymphocyte, see cytotoxic t cell helper t cell suppressor t cell t4 cell
Function: adjective
: designed for or involving application to or action on the surface of a part of the body <applied a topical anesthetic to numb the skin> <eyedrops used in the topical treatment of glaucoma>
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