One morning, the nursing assistant informs you that Ms. Ellis has a sore on her right leg that she didn't have the day before. You assess the leg and discover that Ms. Ellis has a skin tear, probably from bumping into a piece of furniture the night before. Put simply, a skin tear is a separation of the epidermis from the dermis. No matter how it's defined, a skin tear is a painful but preventable injury. In this article, I'll help you meet the challenge skin tears present by providing insights on how the skin changes with age, offering tips for recognizing risk factors for skin tears, suggesting a way for you to identify and classify skin tears, and recommending strategies for prevention and management.
Skin is a physical barrier against infection and excessive fluid loss.
Body temperature is regulated through vasoconstriction, vasodilation, and sweating. Certain products, electrolytes, and water are secreted through the skin, assisting in thermoregulation. The skin also acts as an important depository of body fat. metabolism. The skin synthesizes vitamin D on exposure to light, activating the metabolism of calcium and phosphate. Nerve endings in the skin allow us to feel pain, pressure, heat, and cold.