Dermatoscopy

Dermatoscopy is the examination of skin lesions with a dermatoscope. Dermatoscopy is the examination of skin lesions with a dermatoscope. Also known as dermoscopy or epiluminescence microscopy, it allows for inspection of skin lesions unobstructed by skin surface reflections. The dermatoscope consists of a magnifier, a light source (polarized or non-polarised), a transparent plate and a sometimes a liquid medium between the instrument and the skin. When the images or video clips are digitally captured or processed, the instrument can be referred to as a digital epiluminescence dermatoscope. This technique is useful to dermatologists in distinguishing benign from malignant (cancerous) lesions, especially in the diagnosis of melanoma. A dermatoscope is composed of a transilluminating light source and a magnifying optic (usually a 10-fold magnification). There are three main modes of dermoscopy: