Question 1

A patient is especially worried about an area of skin on her feet that has turned white.The health care provider has told her that her condition is vitiligo.The nurse explains to her that vitiligo is:

Accepted Answer

Vitiligo is the complete absence of melanin pigment in patchy areas of white or light skin on the face,neck,hands,feet,body folds,and around orifices-otherwise,the depigmented skin is normal.

Question 2

An older adult woman is brought to the emergency department after being found lying on the kitchen floor for 2 days; she is extremely dehydrated.What would the nurse expect to see during the examination?

Accepted Answer

With dehydration,mucous membranes appear dry and the lips look parched and cracked.The other responses are not found in dehydration.

Question 3

The nurse educator is preparing an education module for the nursing staff on the epidermal layer of skin.Which of these statements would be included in the module? The epidermis is:

Accepted Answer

The epidermis is thin yet tough,replaced every 4 weeks,avascular,and stratified into several zones.

Question 4

During the aging process,the hair can look gray or white and begin to feel thin and fine.The nurse knows that this occurs because of a decrease in the number of functioning:

Accepted Answer

In the aging hair matrix,the number of functioning melanocytes decreases; as a result,the hair looks gray or white and feels thin and fine.The other options are not correct.

Question 5

A patient comes in for a physical examination and complains of "freezing to death" while waiting for her examination.The nurse notes that her skin is pale and cool and attributes this finding to:

Accepted Answer

A chilly or air-conditioned environment causes vasoconstriction,which results in false pallor and coolness (see Table 12-1).

Question 6

A black patient is in the intensive care unit because of impending shock after an accident.The nurse expects to find what characteristics in this patient's skin?

Accepted Answer

Pallor attributable to shock,with decreased perfusion and vasoconstriction,in black-skinned people will cause the skin to appear ashen,gray,or dull (see Table 12-2).

Question 7

The nurse is bathing an 80-year-old man and notices that his skin is wrinkled,thin,lax,and dry.This finding would be related to which factor in the older adult?

Accepted Answer

An accumulation of factors place the aging person at risk for skin disease and breakdown: the thinning of the skin,a decrease in vascularity and nutrients,the loss of protective cushioning of the subcutaneous layer,a lifetime of environmental trauma to skin,the social changes of aging,a increasingly sedentary lifestyle,and the chance of immobility.

Question 8

A patient comes to the clinic and tells the nurse that he has been confined to his recliner chair for approximately 3 days with his feet down and he asks the nurse to evaluate his feet.During the assessment,the nurse might expect to find:

Accepted Answer

Keeping the feet in a dependent position causes venous pooling,resulting in redness,warmth,and distended veins.Prolonged elevation would cause pallor and coolness.Immobilization or prolonged inactivity would cause prolonged capillary filling time (see Table 12-1).

Question 9

A patient tells the nurse that he has noticed that one of his moles has started to burn and bleed.When assessing his skin,the nurse pays special attention to the danger signs for pigmented lesions and is concerned with which additional finding?

Accepted Answer

Abnormal characteristics of pigmented lesions are summarized in the mnemonic ABCD: asymmetry of pigmented lesion,border irregularity,color variation,and diameter greater than 6 mm.

Question 10

A 75-year-old woman who has a history of diabetes and peripheral vascular disease has been trying to remove a corn on the bottom of her foot with a pair of scissors.The nurse will encourage her to stop trying to remove the corn with scissors because:

Accepted Answer

A personal history of diabetes and peripheral vascular disease increases a person's risk for skin lesions in the feet or ankles.The patient needs to seek a professional for assistance with corn removal.

Question 11

A newborn infant is in the clinic for a well-baby checkup.The nurse observes the infant for the possibility of fluid loss because of which of these factors?

Accepted Answer

The newborn's skin is thin,smooth,and elastic and is relatively more permeable than that of the adult; consequently,the infant is at greater risk for fluid loss.The subcutaneous layer in the infant is inefficient,not thick,and the sebaceous glands are present but decrease in size and production.Vernix caseosa is not produced after birth.

Question 12

A 22-year-old woman comes to the clinic because of severe sunburn and states,"I was out in the sun for just a couple of minutes." The nurse begins a medication review with her,paying special attention to which medication class?

Accepted Answer

Drugs that may increase sunlight sensitivity and give a burn response include sulfonamides,thiazide diuretics,oral hypoglycemic agents,and tetracycline.

Question 13

A woman is leaving on a trip to Hawaii and has come in for a checkup.During the examination the nurse learns that she has diabetes and takes oral hypoglycemic agents.The patient needs to be concerned about which possible effect of her medications?

Accepted Answer

Drugs that may increase sunlight sensitivity and give a burn response include sulfonamides,thiazide diuretics,oral hypoglycemic agents,and tetracycline.

Question 14

The nurse educator is preparing an education module for the nursing staff on the dermis layer of skin.Which of these statements would be included in the module? The dermis:

Accepted Answer

The dermis consists mostly of collagen,has resilient elastic tissue that allows the skin to stretch,and contains nerves,sensory receptors,blood vessels,and lymphatic vessels.It is not replaced every 4 weeks.

Question 15

A patient comes to the clinic and states that he has noticed that his skin is redder than normal.The nurse understands that this condition is due to hyperemia and knows that it can be caused by:

Accepted Answer

Erythema is an intense redness of the skin caused by excess blood (hyperemia)in the dilated superficial capillaries.

Question 16

During an examination,the nurse finds that a patient has excessive dryness of the skin.The best term to describe this condition is:

Accepted Answer

Xerosis is the term used to describe skin that is excessively dry.Pruritus refers to itching,alopecia refers to hair loss,and seborrhea refers to oily skin.

Question 17

The nurse is examining a patient who tells the nurse,"I sure sweat a lot,especially on my face and feet but it doesn't have an odor." The nurse knows that this condition could be related to:

Accepted Answer

The eccrine glands are coiled tubules that directly open onto the skin surface and produce a dilute saline solution called sweat.Apocrine glands are primarily located in the axillae,anogenital area,nipples,and naval area and mix with bacterial flora to produce the characteristic musky body odor.The patient's statement is not related to disorders of the stratum corneum or the stratum germinativum.

Question 18

During a skin assessment,the nurse notices that a Mexican-American patient has skin that is yellowish-brown; however,the skin on the hard and soft palate is pink and the patient's scleras are not yellow.From this finding,the nurse could probably rule out:

Accepted Answer

Jaundice is exhibited by a yellow color,which indicates rising levels of bilirubin in the blood.Jaundice is first noticed in the junction of the hard and soft palate in the mouth and in the scleras.

Question 19

The nurse keeps in mind that a thorough skin assessment is extremely important because the skin holds information about a person's:

Accepted Answer

The skin holds information about the body's circulation,nutritional status,and signs of systemic diseases,as well as topical data on the integumentary system itself.

Question 20

A 13-year-old girl is interested in obtaining information about the cause of her acne.The nurse should share with her that acne:

Accepted Answer

Approximately 90% of males and 80% of females will develop acne; causes are increased sebum production and epithelial cells that do not desquamate normally.

Quiz 12: Skin, Hair, and Nails