Integumentary System
Lesson 5: Dermatological Drugs
5-4
5-4. CLASSIFICATION OF SKIN LESIONS
Skin lesions can be divided into three types: acute lesions, subacute lesions, and chronic lesions. While reading about each type of lesion and its general treatment, remember this rule of thumb: If the lesion is dry, make it wet; if the lesion is wet, make it dry.
a. Acute Lesions. These lesions characteristically have appeared recently and are red, burning, swollen, itching, blistering, or oozing. Treatment usually consists of wet preparations such as soaks for lesions on the hands, arms, feet, or legs. Cool wet dressings are used for lesions of the head, neck, or trunk. If the lesions are over various parts of the body, baths can be used.
b. Subacute Lesions. Subacute lesions are not recent but do not go away and come back. The acute stages of these lesions have subsided, and the area is slightly swollen due to fluid retention. Treatment may be the wet preparations described in acute lesions or lotions that are shaken, or both.
c. Chronic Lesions. These lesions have been on the skin for a long while. They are inactive and are thickened, encrusted, cracked, and scaly. Such lesions can be treated with the wet preparations just described or shake lotions or both. Also effective are emulsions, hydrophilic ointments, pastes with a high powder content, and creams such as cold cream and vanishing cream.
