Interactive explorer
Change the baseline, then choose a finding
These are simplified educational visualizations—not diagnostic images. The key habit is to compare with baseline and inspect more than one location.
Baseline / normal
Baseline / normal
Baseline / normal for the patient
The patient’s usual color and appearance. The most useful comparison is often “different from their normal,” not a single universal shade.
- Compare face, lips, mucosa, palms, nail beds, and exposed skin.
- Ask the patient or family whether the appearance is normal.
- Document color together with temperature, moisture, and perfusion.
Across skin tones: Use the patient’s own baseline as your reference.
Describe the full finding
Color is only one part
TemperatureWarm, hot, cool, or cold. Compare central and peripheral areas and compare sides.
MoistureDry, normal, moist, or diaphoretic. Decide whether it fits the environment and activity.
PerfusionCapillary refill, pulse quality, mental status, blood pressure, and skin signs work together.
Quick-reference tabs
Where should you look?
Useful locationsConjunctiva, oral mucosa, lips, palms, and nail beds.
Think aboutBlood loss, vasoconstriction, shock, anemia, fear, pain, or cold.
Useful locationsLips, tongue, gums, nail beds, and around the eyes. On deeper skin tones, look for gray, white, or dusky change.
Think aboutOxygenation, ventilation, airway, circulation, cold exposure, and peripheral perfusion.
Useful locationsSclera and mucous membranes may show yellowing more clearly than skin.
Think aboutLiver disease, bile obstruction, hemolysis, newborn physiology, and associated symptoms.
Useful descriptionPatchy, marbled, uneven purple, gray, pale, or red change.
Think aboutCold exposure, vasoconstriction, shock, sepsis, poor perfusion, or newborn transition.
Knowledge check