Erythema
Pronunciation: eh-rih-THEE-muh
Redness of the skin caused by increased blood flow to superficial capillaries, commonly used in cosmetic dermatology to describe both a treatment side effect and a symptom of underlying skin conditions.
Full Definition
In cosmetic dermatology, erythema is encountered both as a transient treatment side effect (e.g., post-laser erythema, post-peel erythema) and as a feature of chronic conditions such as rosacea, seborrhoeic dermatitis, and reactive skin. It is a non-specific clinical descriptor and should always be qualified: 'persistent erythema' differs from 'transient erythema' in clinical significance. Editors must spell the term correctly—'erythema', not 'erythaema'—and should be aware that 'erythema' is always used in the singular regardless of how many body areas are affected. The adjective form is 'erythematous'. In patient-facing copy, 'redness' is the plain-English equivalent and is preferred over 'erythema' for lay audiences. The severity is commonly graded on the Clinician's Erythema Assessment (CEA) scale in clinical trials.
Usage
Usage note: Use 'erythema' in clinical documents; replace with 'redness' in patient-facing copy. The adjective form is 'erythematous'. Always singular. Spell without the 'ae' diphthong.
In Context
- "Post-treatment erythema lasting more than 72 hours should be documented in the adverse-event log, not merely noted in the clinical observation field." — Adverse event reporting form
- "The patient leaflet used 'erythema' where the house style requires plain-English terms; the editor replaced it with 'redness'." — Patient information leaflet