Margins of lesions in mechanical peristomal skin damage usually have?

• A. Irregular borders
• B. Smooth borders
• C. Circular borders
• D. No borders

Answer: (A)

When skin around a stoma is damaged by mechanical forces such as friction, rubbing, or tape shear, the injury doesn’t occur evenly around the opening. These forces act unevenly as the appliance moves with body contours and activity, producing multiple tiny injuries that merge into a patchy area. The result is a lesion with jagged, irregular edges that blend into surrounding irritated skin. This irregular border pattern reflects the variable, nonuniform mechanical irritation typical of this type of peristomal damage. In contrast, a smooth border would suggest a more uniform exposure, a circular border would imply a discrete, well-demarcated process, and no border would indicate no real lesion.