Skin Colors
“What Does the
Color Mean?”
Hair and Nails # 1
Hair and Nails # 2
Miscellaneous
100

This pigment gives the skin its primary color and helps protect against ultraviolet radiation.

What is melanin?

100

The disease can cause the patient's skin to turn yellow.

What is liver failure?

100

This protein makes up most of the structure of hair and nails.

What is keratin?

100

This is the visible portion of the nail.

What is the nail plate?

100

When a newborn is born, they are covered in a cheesy like substance called this.

What is vernix caseosa?

200

This bluish or purple discoloration of the skin may indicate decreased oxygenation.

What is cyanosis?

200

This tends to happen when a cute guy walks by or embarrassment occurs.

What is flushing?

200

This part of the hair is embedded within the skin.

What is the hair root?

200

 Hair color is determined primarily by the amount and type of this pigment.

What is melanin?

200

When sebum is exposed to air, dries out, and turns black, it forms this. 

What is a blackhead?

300

This yellowish discoloration of the skin and sclera is commonly associated with increased bilirubin.

What is jaundice?

300
A patient who has a difficult time breathing may turn this color.

What is cyanosis?

300

This structure at the base of the hair follicle produces new hair cells.

What is the hair bulb?

300

Loss of hair is medically known as this.

What is alopecia?

300

A woman who has too much testosterone and produces an excessive amount of hair growth, is known to have this disorder. 

What is hirsutism?

400

A pale or unusually light appearance of the skin may indicate decreased blood flow, anemia, or this emotional response.

 What is pallor?

400

A patient has a closed wound that appears purple and deep red/ maroon.

What is ecchymosis?

400

This structure produces the hard nail plate.

What is the nail matrix?

400

Rounded, enlarged fingertips with curved nails may be described as this finding.

What is clubbing?

400

When sebaceous glands on a newborn’s scalp oversecretes sebum, it produces oily scales called this.

What is cradle cap?

500

When assessing a dark-skinned patient for cyanosis, the nurse should pay particular attention to the lips, oral mucosa, conjunctiva, and this area because color changes may be easier to detect there.

What are the nail beds?

500

A patient has a wound with red around it and it is warm to the touch. What is this condition called?

What is erythema? 

500

This white, crescent-shaped area at the base of the nail is called this.

What is the lunula?

500

This structure protects the nail matrix from infection.

What is the cuticle?

500

This condition is due to the loss of pigment only in certain areas, creating patches of white skin. 

What is vitaligo?