Integumentary System Procedures Overview

Jan 29, 2025

Lecture Notes: Integumentary System - Procedures and Pharmacology

Diagnostic Procedures

  • Categories
    • Diagnostic: Focus on finding a diagnosis or identifying the cause of a disease.
    • Therapeutic: Used to treat or cure a condition.

Diascopy

  • Tests if a lesion is vascular (blood vessels present) or hemorrhagic.
  • Process: Press a microscope slide on the lesion.
    • Blanching = Likely inflammatory.
    • Non-blanching = Likely non-vascular (e.g., mole) or hemorrhagic (e.g., petechiae).

Microscopic Examination

  • Skin Scrapings: Used for fungal infections and scabies.
  • Zank Test (correct spelling: Tzanck)
    • Scraping vesicles, staining to find multi-nucleated cells of herpesvirus.
  • Cultures
    • Samples from fluids/lesions to grow and analyze organisms.
    • Identify viruses or bacteria and suitable drugs.

Biopsy (BX)

  • Involves taking a piece of living tissue for microscopic analysis.
  • Types:
    • Punch Biopsy
    • Excisional Biopsy
    • Shave Biopsy
    • Core Needle Biopsy
    • Endoscopic Biopsies

Wood's Lamp

  • A black light used to define borders of pigmented lesions.
  • Diagnoses:
    • Pseudomonas infections (fluoresces green under UV).
    • Vitiligo: Loss of pigment (hypopigmentation) visible under black light.

Therapeutic Procedures

Photodynamic Therapy (PTD)

  • Combines high-intensity light with a light-sensitive drug to destroy abnormal cells.
  • Treats acne and precancerous conditions like actinic keratosis.

Laser Therapy

  • Treats birthmarks, scars, acne, vascular lesions, warts, rosacea, psoriasis, and vitiligo.

Chemical Peels

  • Uses acidic solutions (e.g., glycolic acid) for treating fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, and melasma.

Cryotherapy

  • Uses cold (liquid nitrogen) to freeze and remove small lesions.

Botox

  • Derived from Clostridium botulinum, used for muscle paralysis.
  • Treats migraines, urinary incontinence, strabismus, and facial wrinkles.

Dermal Fillers

  • Fillers like Restylane and Juvederm used to reduce wrinkles by replacing subcutaneous fat.

Pharmacological Agents

Topical Medications

  • Applied to the skin surface for localized effect.

Anesthetics

  • Relieve pain on the skin surface (e.g., benzocaine).

Antibacterials

  • Kill bacteria (e.g., Neosporin, neomycin).

Antifungals

  • Inhibit fungi growth (e.g., ketoconazole).

Antipruritics

  • Relieve itching (e.g., corticosteroids like hydrocortisone).

Keratolytics

  • Topical agents to peel away stratum corneum (e.g., salicylic acid).

Parasiticides

  • Kill skin parasites (e.g., drugs for lice).

Retinoids

  • Derived from vitamin A, treat acne, psoriasis, and wrinkles.

Pharmacology Terms

  • Pharmacology: Study of drugs.
  • Pharmacologic: Pertaining to the study of drugs.
  • Pharmacist: Specialist in drugs.

Next Topic

  • Upcoming chapter: The Digestive System.

Note: Familiarity with these terms will improve with practice and use in real-world scenarios. The pharmacology course will cover these topics in more detail.

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