What does dermoscopy evaluate?
Dermatoscopy is a non-invasive and useful technique for dermatologists to evaluate skin lesions. It is able to see details of the underlying structure of the skin that are invisible to the naked eye, including the epidermis, the dermo-epidermal junction and the superficial dermis. Different studies, systematic reviews, and data analyses have shown that dermoscopy improves the diagnostic accuracy of skin cancer compared to visual examination.
Dermoscopy evaluates pigmentation in terms of color and structure. It considers features such as symmetry, homogeneity, pigment distribution, vascular patterns, and lesion boundaries. Specific dermoscopic patterns help diagnose a variety of pigmented skin lesions, including melanoma, moles, and atypical moles.
