skin disease

Introduction
General features
- Diagnosis
- Distribution
- Appearance
Hereditary skin diseases
Generalized skin diseases
- Eczema and dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Skin cancer
- Skin infections and infestations
- Urticaria (hives)
Localized skin diseases
- Pigments
- Connective tissues
- Blood vessels
- Hair and pilosebaceous follicles
- Acne
- Sweat glands
- Nails
Metabolic disorders
Aging and the skin

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Which harmless bacteria normally live on healthy human skin?
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Health & Medicine Conditions & Diseases Skin Diseases

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External Websites

LiveScience - Skin: Facts, Diseases & Conditions
Healthline - All About Common Skin Disorders

skin disease

pathology

Written by

Malcolm W. Greaves

Professor of Dermatology, Institute of Dermatology, St. Thomas's Hospital, University of London. Editor of The Urticarias.

Malcolm W. Greaves

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

skin disease, any of the diseases or disorders that affect the human skin. They have a wide range of causes. Although most diseases affecting the skin originate in the layers of the skin, such abnormalities are also important factors in the diagnosis of a variety of internal diseases. There is some truth in the belief that the skin mirrors a person’s internal health. Often, the visibility and accessibility of skin make it the first organ...

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