Dermoscopy of pigmented skin lesions--a valuable tool for early diagnosis of melanoma

Abstract

The clinical use of dermoscopy has uncovered a new and fascinating morphological dimension of pigmented skin lesions. Dermoscopy is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that links clinical dermatology and dermatopathology by enabling the visualisation of morphological features not seen by the naked eye. Close examination of pigmented skin lesions in this way increases the effectiveness of clinical diagnostic tools by providing new morphological criteria for distinguishing melanoma from other melanocytic and non-melanocytic pigmented skin lesions. In the past, dermoscopy has been known by various names, including skin surface microscopy, epiluminescence microscopy, incident light microscopy, dermatoscopy, and videodermatoscopy. However, the term 'dermoscopy', first used by Friedman and colleagues in 1991, is the most widely used.