Defining age-related skin tears: a review

Abstract

Skin tears are reported to be the most common wound found amongst elderly individuals, yet there is a lack of evidence and consensus on a definition for these age-related traumatic injuries. A consensus on definition is essential for benchmarking prevalence and incidence and informing clinical diagnosis, management and reporting. This paper examines the extent of similarity and heterogeneity between the published definitions of skin tears and the underpinning evidence for the same. Five criteria were used to evaluate and compare the published skin tear definitions – reference to skin pathology; cause of injury; effect of injury; site of injury; and reference to the population group being studied. As a result of the review and recent research findings, which explicitly demonstrate age-related changes to the structural and mechanical properties of skin and associated increased risk of skin tears, the authors present a new skin tear definition based on these findings. Skin tears are defined as trauma-induced partial or full thickness wounds which primarily occur on the extremities of older persons with age-related changes to the skin’s structural and mechanical support properties, and are commonly associated with elastosis and/or ecchymosis.