Scale

Scales accumulate when the stratum corneum produces corneocytes faster than they can be shed through desquamation. Scales are dry, whitish or brown platelike stratum corneum cells that visibly flake from the skin surface. Scaling is a common feature of many skin diseases. Disorders of keratinization, like xerosis and ichthyosis, are characterized by scaling. Many inflammatory dermatoses, such as atopic dermatitis and hand dermatitis, are characterized by scaling. Scale should be distinguished from crust, which is liquid debris, like pus, that has dried on the skin surface.