Skin turgor: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (2024)

FAQs

Skin turgor: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia? ›

To check for skin turgor

Skin turgor was measured by using 2 fingers to gently grasp the skin over the antecubital fossa and dorsum of the hand. Turgor was considered normal if the time for the skin to return to the hand was less than 2 seconds and considered decreased if > 2 seconds.

What is skin turgor? Skin turgor refers to the elasticity of your skin. When you pinch the skin on your arm, for example, it should spring back into place with a second or two. Having poor skin turgor means it takes longer for your skin to return to its usual position. It's often used as a way to check for dehydration.

Overview. 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.

When your skin changes shape—like when you pull on it briefly—and goes back to its regular state, this is known as skin turgor. Skin turgor is considered normal if you pull it up as part of the skin turgor test and it quickly returns to how it was.

Skin turgor is the skin's elasticity. Its ability to change shape and return to normal may be decreased when the patient is dehydrated. To check for skin turgor, gently grasp skin on the patient's lower arm between two fingers so that it is tented upwards, and then release.

A turgor time of 1.5 seconds or less was found to be indicative of a less than 50-mL/kg deficit or of a normal infant; 1.5 to 3.0 seconds suggests a deficit between 50 and 100 mL/kg, and more than 3 seconds suggests a deficit of more than 100 mL/kg. 1. Finberg L.

Lower turgor pressure can mean that the cell has a low water concentration and closing the stomata would help to preserve water. High turgor pressure keeps the stomata open for gas exchanges necessary for photosynthesis.

turgor, Pressure exerted by fluid in a cell that presses the cell membrane against the cell wall. Turgor is what makes living plant tissue rigid. Loss of turgor, resulting from the loss of water from plant cells, causes flowers and leaves to wilt.

If dehydration is suspected, you may be given a blood test or a urine test to check the balance of salts (sodium and potassium) in your body.

How do you check skin turgor? ›

To check for skin turgor, the health care provider grasps the skin between two fingers so that it is tented up. Commonly the lower arm or abdomen is checked. The skin is held for a few seconds and then released. Skin with normal turgor snaps rapidly back to its normal position.

Skin turgor measurement, whilst part of the initial assessment of children with suspected dehydration, is only moderately reliable and other clinical signs should be sought to confirm this diagnosis.

One research study demonstrated that subjects who were mildly dehydrated could reach normal levels of hydration within 45 minutes by taking in 600 mL of water or a combination of salt and carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions (CES).

Simply squeeze the skin on one of your finger knuckles for a moment, then let go. If you're well hydrated, the skin will return to its original position immediately, Raj said. But if you're dehydrated, it loses its elasticity and will stay in a pinched or “tented up” position for a moment, he added.

A significant increase in weight can cause skin to lose its elasticity. After weight loss, the skin may not be able to bounce back, resulting in excess, loose skin. This is more likely to occur if the weight loss is around 100 pounds or more. In some instances, skin can be removed surgically.

The kidneys begin to react by retaining sodium and water and fluid builds up in surrounding tissues, leading to swelling. When one is dehydrated, it can cause water weight by retaining fluids. All of this can lead to puffiness, bloating, and discomfort.

Turgidity is the point at which the cell's membrane pushes against the cell wall, which is when turgor pressure is high. When the cell has low turgor pressure, it is flaccid. In plants, this is shown as wilted anatomical structures. This is more specifically known as plasmolysis.

Areas of pitting edema respond to pressure, usually from a hand or finger. For example, when you press on the skin with your finger, it'll leave an indentation, even after you remove your finger. Chronic pitting edema is often a sign of liver, heart, or kidney problems.

Changes in skin pliability (ie, turgor) can be used as an index of body fluid balance because the skin will lose pliability when water balance is negative. A sign of dehydration is an increase in the time required for the skin to return to its normal contour.

Some of the most common symptoms of dehydration include but are not limited to fatigue, thirst, dry skin and lips, dark urine or decreased urine output, headaches, muscle cramps, lightheadedness, dizziness, syncope, orthostatic hypotension, and palpitations.