Update on Dermoscopy and Infectious Skin Diseases

Abstract

Nowadays, dermoscopy is a global worldwide diffuse diagnostic tool supporting clinicians in their daily hard task of correct orientation among dermatological diseases. Born to be an instrument for early diagnosis of skin cancer, the dermatoscope is now considered the dermatologist’s stethoscope, as it can be routinely used to support diagnosis in general dermatology, so spreading its utility in cutaneous inflammatory and infectious diseases, as adjuvant and not substitute to histology and potassium hydroxide examination. As concerns the latter, plenty of papers have been published since the first description of dermoscopic findings of scabies. The aim of this review is to give the clinician a practical approach to dermoscopic parameters of cutaneous infectious diseases with a focus on the latest updates in this topic.

Update on human papilloma virus - part I: epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical spectrum

“… 8 Dermoscopy shows papillae grouped with punctate or looping vessels and/or dots and hemorrhagic lines, often surrounded by a white halo. Filiform warts show similar dermoscopy, with a predominance of papillae 30 ( Fig. 1 B).…”

“… 8 Dermoscopic findings include small punctate vessels, distributed on a background without structures, of yellowish color. 30 Differential diagnoses include flat seborrheic keratosis on the face and molluscum contagiosum, which can be distinguished by its central umbilication. 27 , 28 …”

“…The HPVS most commonly found in PPW lesions are types 1, 2, 4, 7, 63, 65, and 95. 7 , 28 Dermoscopy in PPWs shows a yellowish or white background with no structures, and small hemorraghic dots that correspond to thrombosed vessels with interruption of the skin lines 30 ( Fig. 3 A and B).…”

“…On dermoscopy, pigmented GW may have a cerebriform pattern or resemble seborrheic keratosis. 30 In some cases, biopsy may be necessary.

Figure 6 ( A), Condyloma acuminatum, papules and plaques, vegetating, skin-colored, pinkish and brownish, located in the suprapubic fold.

…”

Clinical and dermoscopic features of livedoid vasculopathy

“…To the Editor: Livedoid vasculopathy (LV) is a thrombo-occlusive disorder involving superficial and mid-dermis vessels, characterized by painful erythematous or purpuric macules or papules, small crusted ulcers, and porcelain-white atrophic scars that remain after several months. [ 1 , 2 ] Dermoscopy is a non-invasive and effective image analysis technology [ 3 ] that can aid dermatologists in visualization of the pigmentation pattern and vascular structure, as well as other morphologic features of the epidermis and dermis. This study was performed to identify the clinical and dermoscopic features of LV in patients with LV who were treated in our hospital from October 2017 to August 2018.…”