cutaneous
Meaning of cutaneous: Cutaneous findings and conditions involve the skin itself, as distinguished from structures located in deeper tissue layers or internal organs.
Definition of cutaneous
Cutaneous means relating to or affecting the skin. The word is used to describe findings, symptoms, and conditions confined to or arising from the skin, such as a cutaneous rash, a cutaneous nodule, or a cutaneous drug reaction.
The term is often paired with related words that specify a different tissue depth or location, including subcutaneous, meaning beneath the skin, and mucocutaneous, meaning involving both skin and mucous membrane. This distinction matters because a disease process limited to the skin can behave differently, and require different evaluation, than one that extends into deeper tissue or involves internal organs.
Cutaneous involvement can occur as a primary skin condition or as a manifestation of a disease process that also affects other parts of the body, such as certain infections, autoimmune conditions, or cancers that produce skin findings alongside their other effects.
Used in a sentence
The dermatology consult was requested to evaluate a new cutaneous lesion on the forearm.
Good to know
A finding described as cutaneous is limited to the skin itself, while subcutaneous findings lie in the tissue layer beneath it, a distinction that can affect how a lesion is evaluated.
Word origin
Where “cutaneous” comes from
From Latin cutis, meaning "skin."