Wood's lamp
Long-wave ultraviolet lamp (~365nm) that provokes visible fluorescence in certain pigments and fungal/bacterial metabolites when shone on the skin.
How it is used
Non-invasive diagnostic examination in the dermatology clinic for scalp tineas, pityriasis versicolor, erythrasma, pigmentary disorders (vitiligo), and porphyrias.
Clinical tip
It must always be interpreted together with the clinical picture, to avoid false positives/negatives.
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.