What is a dermatoscope?
Dermoscopy is a non-invasive skin imaging tool that is primarily used to visualize microscopic details of the superficial and superficial structures of the skin. It aids in the diagnosis of skin lesions, such as nevi, melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, etc. It can help physicians penetrate the reflective interference of the skin's stratum corneum and directly visualize key features such as pigment distribution and blood vessel morphology.
Dermoscopy eliminates specular reflections from the skin surface by polarizing filters to make deeper structures (e.g., dermal blood vessels, pigment granules) visible. Polarized light is divided into cross-polarized, which reduces reflections, and parallel-polarized, which enhances the contrast of epidermal structures.
What is the important role of dermoscopy in skin cancer screening?
The core value of dermoscopy is to break through the limitations of naked-eye observation through high-resolution imaging and polarized light technology to accurately capture the subtle features of early skin cancer lesions. For melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer, dermoscopy can clearly show key signs such as irregular pigment networks, blue-white curtains (representing thickening of the epidermis and pigmentation of the dermis), pseudopod-like structures (tumor edge spread), etc., which can increase the sensitivity of early diagnosis to more than 90%, and help patients to obtain radical treatment opportunities before the tumor metastasizes. This will help patients get the chance of radical treatment before the tumor has metastasized. In addition, dermoscopy can identify dendritic vessels in basal cell carcinoma, keratinized beads in squamous cell carcinoma, and typical features of benign lesions (e.g., seborrheic keratoses, hemangiomas), significantly reducing the rate of misdiagnosis. Studies have shown that dermoscopy-assisted screening reduces unnecessary biopsies by approximately 40% and improves the identification of non-cancerous skin diseases (e.g., psoriasis, lichen planus), making it an indispensable “optical biopsy” tool for dermatologists.
What groups are the different series of IBOOLO dermatoscopes suitable for?
IBOOLO dermatoscope series are divided into pocket dermatoscope series and handheld dermatoscope series. The Pocket Dermatoscope series includes the DE-200, DE-300, and DE-400, which are compact and very easy to carry around. They are relatively simple in function, but they all have polarization modes and are relatively inexpensive, making them ideal for entry-level learners, or amateurs who want to learn about dermatology on their own.
IBOOLO handheld dermatoscopes, the DE-3100 and DE-4100 series, belong to the high-end optical dermatoscope series. Both models feature multiple light modes. These include white light polarized, amber white light polarized, amber light, white light unpolarized, and the PRO version also has a UV mode. The handheld dermatoscopes are ideal for professional dermatologists, who can use different light modes for different types of lesions. For example, if you want to observe fungal lesions, then you can use the UV light mode and the fungal part of the infection will show a special fluorescent effect.
How to use a dermatoscope correctly?
Before operation, ensure that the device and skin surfaces are clean: use alcohol pads to wipe the lens contact surfaces and the patient's skin to avoid grease or debris interfering with imaging. During the procedure, the dermatoscope is placed vertically against the skin to view deeper structures with built-in polarization adjustments (e.g., cross-polarization mode to reduce reflections), and the device is pressed gently to evenly distribute the contact medium (e.g., gel or glass plate) to eliminate scattered light. During image acquisition, multiple angles are required to capture the lesion (center, margins, and surrounding healthy skin), and “Z-axis fine-tuning” focusing technology is used to capture details at different depths, and for raised or depressed lesions, dynamic compression can be used to observe changes in vascular morphology. For routine maintenance, the lens can be cleaned with alcohol, avoiding the use of corrosive solvents.
What does the future trend of dermatoscopy look like?
Dermoscopy technology is accelerating towards intelligence and universality. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning have become the core innovation direction. Through deep learning algorithms, the system can automatically recognize the subtle features of skin lesions (e.g., irregular pigmentation network, abnormal blood vessel morphology) and generate a risk assessment report within seconds. Studies have shown that the sensitivity of AI-assisted diagnosis has approached or even surpassed the level of senior dermatologists, significantly improving the efficiency of early skin cancer screening. Meanwhile, technological innovation in hardware is breaking the limitations of traditional equipment: lightweight portable dermatoscopes can be connected through smartphones to realize home self-testing and data synchronization in the cloud, while the popularity of 5G technology makes remote real-time consultation possible - doctors can remotely manipulate the parameters of the equipment and guide patients to accurately collect images, breaking through the geographic barriers of medical care and resources. The popularization of 5G technology makes remote real-time consultation possible - doctors can remotely control the parameters of the device and guide patients to accurately collect images, breaking through geographical medical resource barriers.