The skin lesion is a part of the skin which has abnormal growth or appearance compared to the skin which is around it. There are 2 categories of skin lesions which exist – primary and secondary. Those skin lesions which are in the first category are skin lesions which are abnormal skin conditions that are present at birth or they are acquired over a person’s lifetime. The skin lesions which are in the second category are skin lesions that are result of manipulated or irritated primary skin lesion. [1] If some person scratches his mole until it bleeds, then this is resulting in lesion, a crust and now this is classified in secondary skin lesion.
Skin lesions symptoms and causes
Symptoms: Skin lesions can accompany other symptoms and they vary depending on the underlying condition, disorder or disease. Also those symptoms which frequently affect the skin, can involve other body systems.
- Common symptoms which occur along with skin lesions: Skin lesions often happen when your immune system reacts to an allergen or with bacterial or viral infections and this is resulting in symptoms [2], such as
- Sweating
- Sores that contain pus
- Redness, warmth or swelling
- Nausea with or without vomiting
- Joint pain or stiffness
- Itchy feeling
- Headache
- Fever and chills
- Difficulty breathing
- Serious symptoms which can indicate a life – threatening condition: There are some cases when skin lesions can be symptoms of life – threatening condition which should be evaluated immediately in an emergency setting. If you have some of the following life – threatening symptoms, then you should seek immediate medical care:
- Sudden swelling of the face, lips or tongue
- Breathing or respiratory issues, such as labored breathing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or inability to breath, wheezing or choking
- Rash that develops rapidly in association with fever or coughing in a child
- Rash that develops rapidly after taking a new medication
- Change in level of consciousness, such as decreased alertness, confusion or fainting
- High fever (higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit)
Skin lesions symptoms and causes
Causes: There are many different causes which can lead to skin lesions. Allergies, small infections of the skin or hair follicles, infectious diseases, aging and injury are the most common causes of skin lesions. Also chronic diseases, such as autoimmune disorders or diabetes can lead to skin lesions. Precancerous changes or skin cancer can appear as skin lesions.
- Common causes of skin lesions: There can be changes in the appearance of the skin which can result from common conditions, such as
- Skin tags
- Nevi (moles) and other benign skin growths
- Freckles
- Folliculitis
- Boils and carbuncles
- Acne
- Injury – related causes of skin lesions: Physical injuries can also cause skin lesions and here we can include:
- Keloid (exuberant scar formation) [3]
- Insect bites or stings
- Cuts or scrapes
- Extreme cold
- Excessive exposure to sun or wind
- Burns, including sunburn
- Bruises
- Age – related causes of skin lesions: Skin lesions can be caused by some processes which are related to aging [4], such as
- Xerosis (dry skin)
- Fragile skin
- Easy bruising
- Age spots (often called liver spots which are harmless discolorations and they appear with advancing age)
- Illness – related causes of skin lesions: There are some cases when skin lesions can be caused by other illnesses, such as
- Viral infections, such as varicella – zoster. This virus can cause skin lesions at many stages of life, such as shingles in adults and chickenpox in children.
- Systemic illness, such as diabetes that could lead to changes in skin texture or color, as well as sores and other lesions that are caused by poor circulation and poor wound healing.
- Bacterial infections, such as scarlet fever or meningococcal meningitis which is a serious condition that is caused by group A Streptococcus and this can cause a skin rash
- Allergy – related causes of skin lesions: Also there are some cases when skin lesions can be caused by allergies, such as
- Food allergies [5]
- Contact dermatitis such as a reaction to nickel in jewelry
- Allergies to medications
References:
[1] Al-Mansour EA, Jaffar A. A study on automatic segmentation and classification of skin lesions in dermoscopic images. International Journal of Knowledge Society Research (IJKSR). 2015;6(4).
[2] Neel VA, Todorova K, Wang J, et al. Sustained Akt activity is required to maintain cell viability in seborrheic keratosis, a benign epithelial tumor. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2015.
[3] Gauglitz GG, Korting HC, Pavicic T, et al. Hypertrophic scarring and keloids: pathomechanisms and current and emerging treatment strategies. Molecular Medicine. 2011;17(1-2):113-25.
[4] Mukherjee S, Date A, Patravale V, et al. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clinical Interventions in Aging. 2006;1(4):327-48.
[5] Sampson HA. Food allergy: Past, present and future. Allergology International. 2016;65(4):363-9.