Oregon Written Tattoo Practice Test

What type of skin lesion results in thinning of the skin without inflammation?

1. Scar

2. Secondary Lesions

3. Skin Atrophy

4. Abrasions

The correct answer is: Skin Atrophy

The correct answer is skin atrophy, which refers specifically to the thinning of the skin that occurs without inflammation. This condition can arise from various causes, including aging, prolonged use of topical steroids, or certain medical conditions. In skin atrophy, the skin's structure decreases, leading to a more fragile appearance and vulnerability to injury. Scar tissue, while it may also represent a change in the skin, typically arises from the healing process after an injury or trauma and often does not involve the uniform thinning of the skin, since scarring can lead to thickened or fibrotic areas. Secondary lesions are skin changes resulting from an initial injury or disease process and may involve characteristics like crusting, scaling, or ulceration, which do not solely pertain to thinning. Abrasions are superficial injuries that damage the outer layer of the skin and usually involve some degree of inflammation and localized repair response, rather than the chronic pattern of atrophy. Therefore, skin atrophy distinctly characterizes a condition where the dermal and epidermal layers thicken without an active inflammatory process, making it the most accurate choice in this context.