Cold Sores Glossary of Terms

1. Adult Skin Problems Slideshow Pictures
2. Quiz: Can You Identify These Skin Conditions?
3. Gallery of Skin Problems and Images Collection

Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Acquired: Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For...

Acyclovir: (Brand name: Zovirax) One of a group of antiviral drugs that acts against the...

Amino acid: One of the20 building blocks from which proteins are assembled. Isoleucine, le...

Antiviral: An agent that kills a virus or that suppresses its ability to replicate and, he...

Blindness: Loss of useful sight. Blindness can be temporary or permanent. Damage to any p...

Blister: A collection of fluid underneath the top layer of skin (epidermis). There are man...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Chemotherapy: 1. In the original sense, a chemical that binds to and specifically k...

Cold sore: A small sore located on the face or in the mouth that causes pain, burning, or ...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Dehydration: Excessive loss of body water. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that ca...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid. One of two types of molecules that encode genetic information...

Erythema: Redness of the skin that results from capillary congestion. Erythema can occur w...

Erythema nodosum: An inflammatory reaction that occurs deep in the skin and is characteriz...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Flu: Short for influenza. The flu is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract w...

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

Ganglion: The celebrated 2nd century Greek physician Galen ((c. 130-201 A.D.) who lived a...

Genital: Pertaining to the external and/or internal organs of reproduction.

Genital herpes: An infection by human herpes virus that is transmitted through intimate co...

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Herpes: A family of viruses. Herpes also refers to infection with one of the human herpesv...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Itching: An uncomfortable sensation in the skin that feels as if something is crawling on ...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Lesion: An area of abnormal tissue change. Lesions vary in severity from harmless to serio...

Lips: Aside from the lips of the mouth, there are two pairs of lips at the entrance to the...

Lysine: An amino acid, one of the 20 building blocks of protein. A dietary essential amino...

Menstruation: The periodic blood that flows as a discharge from the uterus. Also called me...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Nail: In medicine, there are two types of nails. One is just a plain old metal nail used t...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Nose: The external midline projection from the face. The purpose of the nose is to warm, c...

Nursing: 1) Profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintena...

Ocular: Having to do with the eye.

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

Recur: To occur again; to return. For example, a symptom, sign, or disease can recur.

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Remedy: Something that consistently helps treat or cure a disease.

Replication: A turning back, repetition, duplication, reproduction.

Saliva: a watery secretion in the mouth produced by the salivary glands that aids in the d...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Stage: As regards cancer, the extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spre...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Sunburn: Sunburn is an inflammation of the skin that develops in response to exposure to u...

Sunscreen: A substance that blocks the effect of the sun's harmful rays. Using lotions tha...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Symptomatic: 1 With symptoms, as a symptomatic infection. 2 Characteristic o...

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied ...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Ultraviolet radiation: Invisible rays that are part of the energy that comes from the su...

Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, if a person has a viral rash, the rash wa...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

Vitamin E: Alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant vitamin which binds oxygen free radicals that ...

Zovirax: Brand name of Acyclovir.