Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Skin disease
Introduction
Synonyms and keywords: Dermatosis; dermatoses; disease of the skin
Overview
Overview
In medicine, a dermatosis is a generic term for disease of the skin. The plural is dermatoses. It should be distinguished from dermatitis, which is inflammation of the skin (the two terms are related but not identical). Dermotoses covers all skin diseases, many of which are not contagious. Dermatitis is a description of symptoms (inflammation) of some dermatoses.
Many systemic diseases express symptoms through the skin such as measles, and rubella, but these are not categorized as dermatoses.
Skin diseases, or dermatoses, include, skin cancer, eczema, psoriasis, acne, impetigo, scabies, sunburn, warts, fifth disease (also called erythema infectiosum or “slapped face disease”), tinea, herpes, ulcers, and pruritis.
Some skin disorders are caused by absorption of material through the skin. Failure to use proper skin protection (gloves, aprons, overalls etc.) can result in irritation or even poisoning.
Examples of Skin Diseases
Examples of Skin Diseases
- Acne
- Actinic keratosis
- Angioma
- Athlete’s foot
- Aquagenic pruritus
- Argyria
- Atopic dermatitis
- Baldness
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Bed sore
- Behcet’s disease
- Blepharitis
- Boil
- Bowen’s disease
- Bullous pemphigoid
- Canker sore
- Carbuncles
- Cellulitis
- Chloracne
- Chronic dermatitis of the hands and feet
- Cold sores
- Contact dermatitis (includes poison ivy, oak, sumac)
- Creeping eruption
- Dandruff
- Dermatitis
- Dermatitis herpetiformis
- Dermatofibroma
- Diaper rash
- Dyshidrosis
- Eczema
- Epidermolysis bullosa
- Erysipelas
- Erythroderma
- Friction blister
- Genital wart
- Gestational pemphigoid
- Grover’s disease
- Hemangioma
- Hidradenitis suppurativa
- Hives
- Hyperhidrosis
- Ichthyosis
- Impetigo
- Jock itch
- Kaposi’s sarcoma
- Keloid
- Keratoacanthoma
- Keratosis pilaris
- Lewandowsky-Lutz dysplasia
- Lice infection
- Lichen planus
- Lichen simplex chronicus
- Lipoma
- Lymphadenitis
- Malignant melanoma
- Melasma
- Miliaria
- Molluscum contagiosum
- Nummular dermatitis
- Paget’s disease of the nipple
- Pediculosis
- Pemphigus
- Perioral dermatitis
- Photoallergy
- Photosensitivity
- Pityriasis rosea
- Pityriasis rubra pilaris
- Porphyria
- Psoriasis
- Raynaud’s disease
- Ringworm
- Rosacea
- Scabies
- Scleroderma
- Scrofula
- Sebaceous cyst
- Seborrheic keratosis
- Seborrhoeic dermatitis
- Shingles
- Skin cancer
- Skin Tags
- Spider veins
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Stasis dermatitis
- Sunburn
- Tick bite
- Tinea barbae
- Tinea capitis
- Tinea corporis
- Tinea cruris
- Tinea pedis
- Tinea unguium
- Tinea versicolor
- Tinea
- Tungiasis
- Urticaria (Hives)
- Vagabond’s disease
- Vitiligo
- Warts
- Wheal (aka “Weal” and “Welt”)
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]