Handheld dermatoscope
A portable optical instrument combining a magnifying lens (typically around 10x) with its own polarized and/or non-polarized light source, allowing visualization of epidermal and dermoepidermal junction structures by eliminating surface reflection.
How it is used
Used routinely in clinic, either directly or attached to a smartphone camera, to examine pigmented and non-pigmented lesions and distinguish benign features from those suspicious for malignancy (e.g. melanoma), guiding the decision to biopsy; distinct from the already-catalogued AI-assisted total-body digital imaging system, which is oriented toward mapping and photographic follow-up of multiple lesions over time.
Clinical tip
Polarized light allows dry examination of the lesion without the need for contact oil or gel, although some structures (such as milia-like cysts) are better visualized with non-polarized light and direct contact.
Sources
This entry is part of the Instriq catalog, researched and written per specialty from real web research -- never generated or invented without verification -- and reviewed skeptically and independently before publication. How this catalog is written.
Image: Frank33, Wikimedia Commons. License CC BY-SA 3.0. View original source.
