Dermoscopy

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About Dermoscopy

Skin health is an important aspect of our quality of life. In the Tampa office of Dr. Milan Lombardi, we are very thorough in our analysis of conditions and diseases affecting the skin, knowing that an early diagnosis of certain cancers can make a tremendous difference in terms of long-term health.

A lot can be determined just by looking at the skin. The naked eye alone, however, can leave a lot to chance. Many of the skin examinations performed in our dermatology practice involve dermatoscopy, or dermoscopy.

How Dermoscopy Works

Dermoscopy examination uses magnification and high-powered light to assess lesions and marks on the skin. In many cases, this protocol has been able to help dermatologists detect melanoma.

As we can more readily see details of a growth, including areas we wouldn’t without intense magnification or biopsy, we can identify patterns, colors and other characteristics that will lead to a prompt and accurate diagnosis.

By incorporating photography into this examination process, we gain the ability to monitor a patient’s skin, mapping moles and measuring other data.

Some of the characteristics we can see with dermoscopy include:

  • They symmetry or asymmetry in a mole or growth
  • The regularity or irregularity of vascular pattern and morphology
  • Streaks, jaggedness, fading, or cutting off of the border of a mole or growth
  • Ulcerations
  • Keratin in the form of fissures, crypts or white cysts on or just beneath the surface of the skin
  • Areas where structure in pigment is lacking
  • Clods, dots, brown lines and other disruptions in the distribution of pigment
  • Uniformity or disorganization across the structure of a mole or growth

What Dermoscopy Can Identify

The characteristics we can identify in a lesion allow us to rule out certain conditions and focus on others. Some of the pigmented lesions that can be diagnosed through dermoscopy include:

  • Benign moles
  • Freckles
  • Hemangioma
  • Pigmented basal cell carcinoma
  • Melanoma
  • Seborrheic keratosis
  • Atypical moles

Additionally, our handheld dermatoscope can help us differentiate conditions that may look similar to the naked eye, such as eczema and lichen planus.

The high-powered light and magnified view of the skin may help us identify a scabies mite that has burrowed in the skin or a splinter that cannot be easily reached.

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Your skin health is important to your quality of life. For that reason, it is important to your dermatologist near Downtown Tampa. If you have questions about our practice, a new growth, or cosmetic dermatology, contact the office of Dr. Milan Lombardi today for a consultation and examination of your skin.

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