Dermoscopy

Dermoscopy is a noninvasive skin examination technique that uses magnification and illumination to reveal subsurface structures not visible to the unaided eye. It supports the assessment of pigmented lesions and other skin conditions.

Dermoscope: A handheld or contact optical instrument that magnifies and illuminates skin for dermoscopic examination. Its illumination and optics make subsurface structures visible.
Melanoma: A malignant tumor of melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells found chiefly in the skin. Dermoscopy helps identify suspicious features that prompt biopsy or specialist assessment.
Skin lesion: A localized abnormality of the skin that differs from surrounding tissue in appearance or structure. Dermoscopy is an examination method for evaluating individual skin lesions.
Johann Saphier: A German dermatologist who introduced the term dermatoscopy and described early microscopic examination of skin lesions. His early work helped establish the technique and its terminology.
Wood's lamp: An ultraviolet lamp used to accentuate fluorescence and pigment differences in skin and hair. It uses ultraviolet fluorescence rather than magnified visible-light structures.
Polarized light: Light whose electric field oscillates in a single plane; polarized dermoscopy uses it to visualize subsurface structures. Non-contact polarized devices reduce surface glare and reveal deeper patterns.
Nevus: A localized, usually benign proliferation of melanocytes or other cells in the skin. Comparing benign nevus patterns with atypical lesions supports melanoma assessment.
ABCDE rule: A clinical mnemonic for melanoma warning signs: asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation, diameter, and evolution. It complements visual inspection, while dermoscopy adds finer structural clues.
Leon Goldman: An American dermatologist who advanced clinical use of epiluminescence microscopy for examining pigmented skin lesions. His work helped bring magnified lesion examination into dermatologic practice.
Reflectance confocal microscopy: A noninvasive imaging technique that produces cellular-resolution images of superficial skin using reflected light. It resolves cellular detail beyond dermoscopy's broader structural patterns.

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