In addition to its traditional use for the evaluation of skin tumors, dermoscopy continuously gains appreciation in other fields of dermatology. The patterns of several inflammatory and infectious skin diseases have already been described, and dermoscopy has been shown to improve the clinical diagnostic performance in the daily practice. The increasing use of dermoscopy was significantly enhanced by the development of the new generation hand-held dermatoscopes that can be easily placed in every dermatologist’s pocket and do not require the use of immersion fluid. In this article, we provide an up-to-date summary of data on dermoscopy in general dermatology.
Key points
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In addition to its traditional use for evaluation of skin tumors, dermoscopy is increasingly used in general dermatology.
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The new-generation hand-held dermatoscope, which does not require immersion fluid and contact with the skin, represents the optimal equipment for dermoscopic examination of inflammatory and infectious skin diseases.
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Vascular structures, color variegation, follicular abnormalities, and specific features are the main criteria to be considered when applying dermoscopy in general dermatology.
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Dermoscopy is a valuable tool that improves diagnostic accuracy in several clinical scenarios, such as the differential diagnosis of erythematosquamous skin diseases or the diagnosis of scabies.
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Dermoscopic findings should always be interpreted within the clinical context of the patient and integrated with all relevant information from history and macroscopic examination.
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