Checking out the integument’s pathophysiology

Skin cancer

Many cases of skin cancer are related to UV exposure. Skin cancers are classified as a melanoma (a malignant or spreading type) or a nonmelanoma (a limited-to-one-portion-of-the-skin type).

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. UV radiation can cause a cancerous tumor to develop in the stratum germinativum. The immune system becomes increasingly unable to detect the tumor as it grows. This type of tumor is relatively easily removed and is usually easily cured.

Squamous cell carcinoma is a melanoma type that starts in the epidermis. Squamous cell carcinoma is more likely to spread to a nearby organ than basal cell carcinoma, and for every 100 people diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, one is likely to die from it.

Malignant melanoma starts in the melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin. The appearance of a malignant melanoma are almost black with irregular borders. These cancerous spots look like a spot on your garage floor where you spilled oil. Malignant melanoma occurs mostly in light-skinned people who have a history of severe sunburns, especially when they were kids. One in five people diagnosed with malignant melanoma die from it within five years.

 

Dermatitis

Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin that takes the form of a rash that itches and burns. The inflammation can have many causes: infection, insect bites, irritation from chemicals, allergy, skin abrasion from shaving, or sunburn. A genetic predisposition is frequently involved, as in seborrheic dermatitis, or eczema, which often affects the scalp and hair as well as the skin of the hands, feet, face, or just about anywhere else.

Many people have an episode of dermatitis at some time in their lives, and some people suffer chronic dermatitis. Although the cause can vary, the treatment is often relatively simple: some combination of avoiding the cause or eliminating the infectious organism (fungus, for example) and applying a hydrocortisone cream to calm the inflammation and allow the skin to heal.

 

Alopecia

Alopecia is the medical term for abnormal hair loss — that is, over and above the normal rate of hair loss caused by the follicles taking a break once in a while. Like dermatitis, the causes are quite various.

The most prevalent type is androgeic alopecia, or male pattern baldness. Androgeic alopecia is an inherited condition that affects about 25 percent of men before the age of 30 and two-thirds of all men before the age of 60. The condition is less common and less extreme in women. It can develop in older adults, resulting in an overall thinning of all the scalp hair rather than complete baldness.

Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss in which the immune system attacks hair follicles causing it to fall out in large patches. The root cause (sorry!) is unknown, but damage to the follicle is usually temporary. Alopecia areata is most common in people younger than 20, but children and adults of any age may be affected. Alopecia areata can be treated but not cured.

Temporary alopecia can result from a long list of causes, including stress, severe illness or surgery, nutritional deficiencies, treatment with certain drugs (notably chemotherapy agents for cancer, which attack all actively dividing cells), and certain medicines for arthritis, depression, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Use of some hair cosmetics or hair abuse (wearing the hair pulled back tightly over a long period of time) can harm the hair shaft or follicle. Trichotillomania, or compulsive hair pulling, can also eventually lead to alopecia.

 

Nail problems as signs of possible medical conditions

Unhealthy nails can be a symptom of an underlying disease and can be of help in diagnosis. For example, bluish nail beds are caused by poor circulation. More specific indications include the following:

• Brittle, concave (spoon-shaped) nails with ridges may indicate iron-deficiency anemia.
• Nails separating from the nail bed can result from a thyroid disorder in which too much of a thyroid hormone is produced, such as Graves disease.
• Black marks that look like tiny splinters under the nails can help diagnose respiratory disease or heart disease.
• Hard, curved, yellow nails may indicate bronchiectasis (chronic dilation of bronchial tubes) and lymphedema (fluid retention in lymph glands).