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Review
. 2022 Jan 6;5(1):e464.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.464. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Dermoscopy for cutaneous fungal infections: A brief review

Sophie Soyeon Lim  1 , Kihyuk Shin  2   3   4 , Je-Ho Mun  5   6
Affiliations
Review

Dermoscopy for cutaneous fungal infections: A brief review

Sophie Soyeon Lim et al. Health Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Fungal dermatological diseases are significant public health issues. Dermoscopy is a useful bedside assessment tool that helps clinicians diagnose various skin neoplasms and general dermatological diseases.

Aim: This brief review aims to update clinicians on the dermoscopic features of cutaneous fungal infections such as tinea capitis, tinea corporis, tinea incognito, onychomycosis, and pityrosporum folliculitis.

Methods: The PubMed database was searched using the terms "dermoscopy" or its synonyms, "tinea capitis", "tinea corporis", "tinea incognito", "onychomycosis" and "pityrosporum folliculitis".

Results: The diagnostic value of dermoscopy is well-recognised in the evaluation of tinea capitis and onychomycosis. There are fewer studies investigating the dermoscopic features of tinea corporis, tinea incognito and pityrosporum folliculitis, but the current data suggest that dermoscopy can aid clinical evaluation of these diseases. Understanding dermoscopic features of cutaneous fungal infection has the potential to increase diagnostic accuracy.

Conclusion: Dermoscopy in the evaluation of fungal dermatological diseases has the potential to optimize diagnostic accuracy, reduce unnecessary testing, and, consequently, improve clinical practice.

Keywords: dermoscopy; folliculitis; onychomycosis; tinea capitis; tinea corporis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Dermoscopy of tinea capitis. Dermoscopic examination of tinea capitis revealing diffuse scaling (blue arrows), comma hair (green arrow), bent hair (red arrow), zigzag hair (yellow arrow), and whitish sheath (white arrow)
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Dermoscopy of tinea corporis. Dermoscopic examination of tinea corporis revealing diffuse erythema (red asterisks) and white peripheral scales that peel outwards (black arrows)
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Dermoscopy of onychomycosis. Dermoscopic examination of onychomycosis demonstrating spike patterns (yellow arrows) and yellow discoloration
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Dermoscopy of pityrosporum folliculitis. Dermoscopic examination of pityrosporum folliculitis depicting follicular pustules (blue arrows), dotted vessels (red arrows), perilesional scaling (white arrows), and surrounding erythema (yellow arrows)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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