Use of Dermatoscopy and Videodermatoscopy in Therapeutic Follow-Up: A Review

The document reviewed the effectiveness of dermatoscopy (DE) and videodermatoscopy (VD) in the therapeutic follow-up of skin conditions such as scabies, pediculosis, androgenetic alopecia (AGA), alopecia areata (AA), and psoriasis. It highlighted that DE and VD are noninvasive techniques that allow for magnified observation of the skin, with VD providing higher magnifications up to x1000. The review presented evidence from various studies, including one with 20 subjects showing DE's ability to monitor scabies treatment by observing a decrease in mites, and another with 12 patients where VD tracked the reduction of psoriatic capillaries post-cyclosporine treatment. DE and VD were also shown to be useful in assessing treatment efficacy in conditions like nail psoriasis, port-wine stains, and neoplastic lesions. The document concluded that VD, despite its higher cost, might be more reliable and easier to use for therapeutic follow-up in clinical practice and research.