What Is Skin Atrophy?

Skin atrophy is a pathological change in which one or more tissues in the epidermis, dermis, or subcutaneous tissue are reduced in thickness, and its clinical manifestations vary depending on where the skin atrophy occurs. Skin atrophy includes pathological and physiological phenomena. Some diseases or trauma can cause pathological atrophy of the skin, and some drugs can cause physiological atrophy of the skin.

Basic Information

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Dermatology

Common causes

Physiological factors include aging, drugs, and pathological factors include trauma or disease

Common symptoms

Clinical manifestations vary depending on where the skin atrophy occurs

Causes of skin atrophy

1. Physiological factors include aging, drugs, and skin atrophy caused by abuse of corticosteroids.
2. Pathological factors include trauma or disease, such as epidermal atrophy caused by discoid lupus erythematosus.

Clinical manifestations of skin atrophy

1. Epidermal atrophy The number of epidermal cell layers is reduced and thinned. For example, the thinner and more wrinkled skin of the elderly can be promoted, and the blood vessels under the epidermis can be promoted. Atrophy due to disease or trauma, such as discoid lupus erythematosus, has a smooth surface and loses skin texture.
2. The dermal atrophy of the papillary layer or the reticular layer reduces the connective tissue, and the skin may have depressions, but the surface appearance is normal, and the skin lines are still present.
3. Epidermal and dermal atrophy When the epidermis and dermis are atrophied, the epidermis is thin and transparent, and the underlying blood vessels can be seen, the skin lines completely disappear, and the skin is easy to push.
4. Subcutaneous tissue atrophy Subcutaneous tissue atrophy is atrophy of the skin, such as fat malnutrition, dermis and subcutaneous tissue atrophy, such as lipid-like progressive necrosis. Relaxed atrophic skin is a hernia-like or balloon-like bulge due to the loss of elastic fibers, which is dented like a bag by finger pressure.
5. Some other atrophies are physiological phenomena. Corticosteroid abuse can cause skin atrophy, including oral, topical, or intradermal injections.

Skin atrophy treatment

1. If it is aging or drug-induced atrophy, no treatment is needed, just stop using suspicious drugs, and normal skin care for the elderly is sufficient.
2. If the skin atrophy caused by the disease, such as discoid lupus erythematosus, need to actively treat the primary disease.