Dermatoscopy.

Publication/Presentation Date

1-1-2021

Abstract

The dermatoscope has gained tremendous popularity among dermatologists as an adjunctive tool to better visualize subsurface structures and identify patterns that may improve the diagnosis of a wide range of skin diseases. Initially, the pigmented lesion experts who were the early adopters promoted the use of the dermatoscope to increase diagnostic accuracy of early melanomas and decrease the harvesting of benign lesions. With current near universal adoption of the diagnostic technique by dermatologists, the dermatoscope is now employed to help identify a wide variety of inflammatory, infectious, and vascular conditions of the skin, hair, and nails, resulting in the emergence of several branches of dermatoscopy-inflammoscopy, trichoscopy, onychoscopy, and entodermoscopy. The future of dermatoscopy will involve incorporation of artificial intelligence that will make the assessment process increasingly objective, more accurate, and universally available. Despite the wide acceptance and adoption of dermatoscopy, the overall impact of its widespread use still remains unclear, whether it has decreased biopsy rates of benign lesions, reduced health care costs, or improved patient outcomes.

Volume

39

Issue

4

First Page

635

Last Page

642

ISSN

1879-1131

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

34809768

Department(s)

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Document Type

Article

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