Dermatoscopy

Abstract

Dermatoscopy employs a ×10-40 magnification system using nonpolarized and also often polarized light, as well as a liquid medium to better observe the structure and color of the epidermis and upper dermis. Although originally developed for the differential diagnosis of pigmented skin lesions, dermatoscopy has been shown in recent years to be very valuable in the assessment of nonpigmented tumors, parasites (entodermoscopy), foreign bodies, hemorrhages, and increasingly also in hair diseases (trichoscopy) and inflammatory skin diseases (inflammoscopy). A meta-analysis of 27 studies with over 9,000 pigmented lesions showed that the diagnostic accuracy of expert diagnosis for melanoma is 49% higher with dermatoscopy than with naked-eye assessment.