Skin turgor
Doughy skin; Poor skin turgor; Good skin turgor; Decreased skin turgorSkin turgor is the skin's elasticity. It is the ability of skin to change shape and return to normal.
Considerations
Skin turgor is a sign of fluid loss (dehydration). Diarrhea or vomiting can cause fluid loss. Infants and young children with these conditions can rapidly lose a lot of fluid, if they do not take enough water. Fever speeds up this process.
Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when your body does not have as much water and fluids as it needs. Dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe, based on how much...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleVomiting
Nausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up forces the contents of the stomach up t...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleTo check for skin turgor, the health care provider grasps the skin between two fingers so that it is tented up. Commonly on the lower arm or abdomen is checked. The skin is held for a few seconds then released.
Skin with normal turgor snaps rapidly back to its normal position. Skin with poor turgor takes time to return to its normal position.
Lack of skin turgor occurs with moderate to severe fluid loss. Mild dehydration is when fluid loss equals 5% of body weight. Moderate dehydration is 10% loss and severe dehydration is 15% or more loss of body weight.
Edema is a condition where fluid builds up in the tissues and causes swelling. This causes the skin to be extremely difficult to pinch up.
Edema
Swelling is the enlargement of organs, skin, or other body parts. It is caused by a buildup of fluid in the tissues. The extra fluid can lead to a ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleCauses
Common causes of poor skin turgor are:
- Decreased fluid intake
- Dehydration
Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when your body does not have as much water and fluids as it needs. Dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe, based on how much...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Diarrhea
- Diabetes
Diabetes
Diabetes is a long-term (chronic) disease in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Extreme weight loss
- Heat exhaustion (excessive sweating without enough fluid intake)
Heat exhaustion
Heat emergencies or illnesses are caused by exposure to extreme heat or sun. Heat illnesses can be prevented by being careful in hot, humid weather....
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Vomiting
Connective tissue disorders such as scleroderma and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can affect the elasticity of the skin, but this is not related to the amount of fluid in the body.
Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a disease that involves the buildup of fibrous tissue in the skin and elsewhere in the body. It also damages the cells that line the ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleEhlers-Danlos syndrome
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited disorders marked by extremely loose joints, very stretchy (hyperelastic) skin that bruises easil...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleHome Care
You can quickly check for dehydration at home. Pinch the skin over the back of the hand, on the abdomen, or over the front of the chest under the collarbone. This will show skin turgor.
Mild dehydration will cause the skin to be slightly slow in its return to normal. To rehydrate, drink more fluids -- particularly water.
Severe turgor indicates moderate or severe fluid loss. See your provider right away.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Contact your provider if:
- Poor skin turgor occurs with vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.
Fever
Fever is the temporary increase in the body's temperature in response to a disease or illness. A child has a fever when the temperature is at or abov...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - The skin is very slow to return to normal, or the skin "tents" up during a check. This can indicate severe dehydration that needs quick treatment.
- You have reduced skin turgor and are unable to increase your intake of fluids (for example, because of vomiting).
What to Expect at Your Office Visit
The provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your medical history, including:
- How long have you had symptoms?
- What other symptoms came before the change in skin turgor (vomiting, diarrhea, others)?
- What have you done to try to treat the condition?
- Are there things that make the condition better or worse?
- What other symptoms do you have (such as dry lips, decreased urine output, and decreased tearing)?
Decreased urine output
Decreased urine output means that you produce less urine than normal. Most adults make at least 500 milliliters of urine in 24 hours (a little over ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleDecreased tearing
You need tears to moisten the eyes and to wash away particles that have gotten into your eyes. A healthy tear film on the eye is necessary for good ...
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Tests that may be performed:
- Blood chemistry (such as a chem-20)
Blood chemistry
A comprehensive metabolic panel is a group of blood tests. They provide an overall picture of your body's chemical balance and metabolism. Metaboli...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleChem-20
A comprehensive metabolic panel is a group of blood tests. They provide an overall picture of your body's chemical balance and metabolism. Metaboli...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - CBC
CBC
A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following:The number of white blood cells (WBC count)The number of red blood cells (RBC count)The numb...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Urinalysis
Urinalysis
Urinalysis is the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. It involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds th...
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You may need intravenous fluids for severe fluid loss. You may need medicines to treat other causes of poor skin turgor and elasticity.
Intravenous
Intravenous means "within a vein. " Most often it refers to giving medicines or fluids through a needle or tube inserted into a vein. This allows th...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleReferences
Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW. Skin, hair, and nails. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. Seidel's Guide to Physical Examination. 10th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2023:chap 9.
Greenbaum LA. Deficit therapy. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 70.
McGrath JL, Bachmann DJ. Vital signs measurement. In: Roberts JR, Custalow CB, Thomsen TW, eds. Roberts and Hedges' Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine and Acute Care. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 1.
Van Mater HA, Rabinovich CE. Scleroderma and Raynaud phenomenon. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 185.
Skin turgor - illustration
A decrease in skin turgor is indicated when the skin (on the back of the hand for an adult or on the abdomen for a child) is pulled up for a few seconds and does not return to its original state. A decrease in skin turgor is a late sign of dehydration.
Skin turgor
illustration
Skin turgor - illustration
A decrease in skin turgor is indicated when the skin (on the back of the hand for an adult or on the abdomen for a child) is pulled up for a few seconds and does not return to its original state. A decrease in skin turgor is a late sign of dehydration.
Skin turgor
illustration
Review Date: 1/29/2022
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.