Alternative Uses of Dermoscopy in Daily Clinical Practice: An Update

The document from December 2018 reviews the expanded use of dermoscopy, a noninvasive diagnostic tool, in identifying various skin disorders, hair and nail abnormalities, beyond its traditional use for skin tumors. Analyzing 334 articles, including 47 large case series and 287 single case reports and small case series, the review highlights dermoscopy's ability to reveal disease-specific features that aid in diagnosis and sometimes eliminate the need for histological confirmation. For hair disorders, it details the identification of specific features in conditions like trichotillomania, congenital triangular alopecia, and loose anagen hair syndrome, as well as more complex conditions like frontal fibrosing alopecia, dissecting cellulitis of the scalp, and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia. In nail disorders, it emphasizes dermoscopy's role in identifying features in onychomycosis. The document underscores dermoscopy's value in enhancing clinical diagnosis and reducing unnecessary biopsies, but also notes the limitations of the case series and calls for further research.