Skin Analysis, Conditions, and Disorders
What the exam tests
This domain tests structured skin analysis: observation, palpation, Wood’s lamp use where appropriate, lesion recognition, and deciding what is treatable in an esthetic setting versus referable.
Core rules
- Analyze after cleansing under consistent lighting; note texture, pore size, oiliness, hydration, sensitivity, pigmentation, and vascularity.
- Skin types: normal, dry, oily, combination, sensitive; conditions such as dehydration, acne, rosacea, and hyperpigmentation are not the same as type.
- Primary lesions: macule, papule, pustule, vesicle, nodule, wheal. Secondary: scale, crust, fissure, excoriation, scar.
- Refer suspicious, changing, bleeding, painful, or asymmetric lesions; do not extract or treat undiagnosed growths.
- Fitzpatrick phototype guides sun-protection advice and risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
- Document objective findings and product reactions, not diagnoses. Use consistent descriptors so another practitioner can follow the record.
Worked example
A client has a pearly, raised nodule with tiny blood vessels on the nose. Reasoning: this is not a comedone or milia; it has features that require medical evaluation. Do not extract. Note the location and appearance, advise the client to see a physician, and avoid treatment over the area.
Traps
Calling every bump a “pimple”; treating active rosacea with heat and strong acids; confusing dry skin with dehydrated skin; and recording “client has eczema” instead of describing what you saw.