Two cases of granuloma faciale showing rosettes.

Granuloma faciale (GF) is a rare benign chronic inflammatory dermatosis often difficult to distinguish clinically from other diseases, both inflammatory and neoplastic. Dermoscopy can be a helpful diagnostic tool and indeed several dermoscopic criteria observed in GF have been described in literature. We present two patients affected by GF in which we have observed rosettes.

[Dermoscopy of inflammatory skin diseases]. / Dermatoskopie entzündlicher Hauterkrankungen.

The dermoscope was initially used in dermatology to distinguish between pigmented and nonpigmented tumors, both benign and malignant. Over the last two decades, however, the spectrum of dermoscopy has broadened and its role in the diagnosis of nonneoplastic diseases, in particular inflammatory skin diseases, has become increasingly important. In the diagnosis of general and inflammatory skin diseases, it is recommended that dermoscopic evaluation should be performed after clinical examination. In the following summary, the dermoscopic features of the most common inflammatory skin diseases are described. Among the detailed parameters are the vascular structures, color, scaling, follicular findings, and specific signs associated with each disease.

Dermatoscopy of Inflammatory Diseases in Skin of Color.

Dermatoscopy is a relevant in vivo diagnostic tool for inflammatory diseases of the skin that aids not only in diagnosis, but also in monitoring the response to treatment. The inflammatory diseases show dermoscopic patterns involving the vessels, scales, follicles, background hue, and special clues. This review aims to provide an overview on the use of dermoscopy in inflammatory dermatoses based on the available literature and the deviation from it in the skin of color (SOC) as there is paucity of literature in dermoscopy of inflammatory disorders in SOC. The dermatoscopic patterns in most of the inflammatory diseases in SOC are similar to that of white skin, with pigmentary changes being the prominent dermoscopic findings while vascular patterns and erythema being less evident.

Dermoscopy in general dermatology (non-neoplastic dermatoses) of skin of colour: a comparative retrospective study by the International Dermoscopy Society.

BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy has been shown to be a useful supportive tool to assist the diagnosis of several non-neoplastic dermatoses (i.e. inflammatory, infiltrative and infectious skin diseases), yet data on skin of colour is still limited. OBJECTIVES: To characterize dermoscopic features of non-neoplastic dermatoses in dark-skinned patients in order to identify possible clues that may facilitate the differential diagnosis of clinically similar conditions. MATERIALS & METHODS: Members of the International Dermoscopy Society were invited to submit cases of any non-neoplastic dermatosis developing in patients with Fitzpatrick Phototypes V-VI whose diagnosis had been confirmed by the corresponding gold standard diagnostic test. A standardized assessment of the dermoscopic images and a comparative analysis according to clinical presentation were performed. Seven clinical categories were identified: (I) papulosquamous dermatoses; (II) facial hyperpigmented dermatoses; (III) extra-facial hyperpigmented dermatoses; (IV) hypopigmented dermatoses; (V) granulomatous dermatoses; (VI) sclerotic dermatoses; and (VII) facial inflammatory dermatoses. RESULTS: A total of 653 patients (541 and 112 with Phototype V and VI, respectively) were recruited for the analysis. Thirty-six statistically significant dermoscopic features were identified for papulosquamous dermatoses, 24 for facial hyperpigmented disorders, 12 for extra-facial hyperpigmented disorders, 17 for hypopigmented disorders, eight for granulomatous dermatoses, four for sclerotic dermatoses and 17 for facial inflammatory diseases. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that dermoscopy might be a useful tool in assisting the diagnosis of clinically similar non-neoplastic dermatoses in dark phototypes by revealing characteristic clues. Study limitations include the retrospective design, the lack of a direct dermoscopic-histological correlation analysis and the small sample size for less common diseases.

Dermoscopy of Inflammatory Dermatoses (Inflammoscopy): An Up-to-Date Overview.

In addition to its use in pigmented and nonpigmented skin tumors, dermoscopy is gaining appreciation in assisting the diagnosis of nonneoplastic diseases, especially inflammatory dermatoses (inflammoscopy). In this field, dermoscopic examination should be considered as the second step of a "2-step procedure," always preceded by the establishment of a differential diagnosis on the basis of clinical examination. In this paper, we sought to provide an up-to-date overview on the use of dermoscopy in common inflammatory dermatoses based on the available literature data. For practical purposes, the analyzed dermatoses are grouped according to the clinical presentation pattern, in line with the 2-step procedure principle: erythematous-desquamative and papulosquamous dermatoses, papulokeratotic dermatoses, erythematous facial dermatoses, sclero-atrophic dermatoses, and miscellaneous.

Dermoscopy of Common Inflammatory Disorders.

In addition to its "traditional" application for the early diagnosis of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers, dermoscopy gains appreciation in fields beyond dermato-oncology. Nowadays, dermoscopy has been established as a reliable adjunctive tool to the everyday clinical practice of general dermatology. Morphology and distribution of vascular structures, background colors, follicular abnormalities, and the presence of scales are important features that should be evaluated. Clinical examination remains the undoubted mainstay of diagnosis in inflammatory and infectious diseases.

Dermatoscopy of Granulomatous Disorders.

Although diagnosis of cutaneous granulomatous disorders (CGDs) is usually suspected based on morphologic findings, localization, and anamnestic data, clinical differentiation from each other and from similar dermatoses may be challenging. Recently, dermatoscopy has been demonstrated to be a useful tool for assisting the recognition of several CGDs. This article provides a current overview of the dermatoscopic features of the main noninfectious and infectious CGDs, including sarcoidosis, necrobiosis lipoidica, granuloma annulare, rheumatoid nodules, and leishmaniasis. Other, less common, CGDs are briefly addressed, including granulomatous rosacea, acne agminata, and leprosy.

Alternative uses of dermoscopy in daily clinical practice: An update.

Dermoscopy is a noninvasive diagnostic tool that is currently being used for neoplastic skin lesions, several inflammatory and infectious diseases, and skin appendage disorders. As the clinical applications of dermoscopy beyond pigmented lesions are constantly increasing, the aim of this article is to provide an update on this topic. This comprehensive review substantiates how several diseases may show peculiar dermoscopy features so as to enhance the diagnosis and avoid (in selected cases) unnecessary histologic confirmation. In other cases, dermoscopy features may be shared with other conditions, with the advantage of narrowing down the differential diagnosis by ruling out those dermatoses with similar clinical aspect but different dermoscopic presentation.

Dermoscopy of Morphea and Cutaneous Lichen Sclerosus: Clinicopathological Correlation Study and Comparative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy of morphea and cutaneous lichen sclerosus (CLS) has been described by various studies, with none of them considering variability according to clinical phases and investigating dermoscopic-histological correlations. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate dermoscopic features in general and according to clinical stage, identify possible distinctive dermoscopic clues, and assess dermoscopy accuracy in detecting subclinical alterations in morphea and CLS. METHODS: A representative dermoscopic image of target lesions was evaluated for the presence of specific features, correlating them with clinical subtype (inflammatory, inflammatory-sclerotic, sclerotic, or sclerotic-atrophic). In case of clinical-dermoscopic discordance (inflammatory, sclerotic, and atrophic findings in noninflammatory, nonsclerotic, and nonatrophic lesions, respectively), dermoscopic-pathological correspondence was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 86 lesions (51 morphea/35 CLS) were analyzed, with most of them displaying an inflammatory-sclerotic or sclerotic clinical pattern. The most common dermoscopic findings of morphea were "fibrotic beams," while CLS was mainly characterized by bright white/white-yellowish patches and yellowish-white keratotic follicular plugs; all these structures displayed complete specificity for the correspondent dermatosis. Additionally, pigmentary structures were significantly more frequent in morphea and white scaling and hemorrhagic spots in CLS. Only few dermoscopic features reached a statistical significance for a specific clinical stage. Regarding the clinical-dermoscopic discordance rate, it was significantly more common in morphea than CLS; in all cases there was a correspondence between dermoscopic and pathological findings. CONCLUSION: Dermoscopy of morphea and CLS reveals distinctive dermoscopic clues which are often unrelated to clinical stage but show a constant histological correspondence, thus emphasizing its usefulness in diagnosis and therapeutic management of these conditions.

Dermoscopy of Granuloma Annulare: A Clinical and Histological Correlation Study.

BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy of granuloma annulare has been investigated by several studies, but none of them took into account the variability of dermoscopic findings according to clinical characteristics and/or histological subtype. OBJECTIVE: To describe the dermoscopic features of classic granuloma annulare and seek possible dermoscopic clues related to specific clinical findings/histological subpatterns. METHODS: A representative dermoscopic image of a target lesion (the most active lesion underwent histological examination) was retrospectively assessed for the presence of specific morphological findings, correlating them with clinical variables, i.e. disease duration and extension (localized or generalized) and clinical aspect (annular or non-annular) and localization (trunk or extremities) of the biopsied lesion, and with histological subtype. RESULTS: A total of 25 lesions from 25 subjects were analysed; an "interstitial" histological variant was detected in 11 cases, while a "palisading granuloma" histological pattern was found in 14 instances. The most common dermoscopic findings included blurry vessels having variable appearance (dotted, linear-irregular, and branching) over a more or less evident pinkish-reddish background, followed by whitish and/or yellowish-orange areas. Additional findings were rosettes, crystalline structures, and whitish scaling. No difference (p > 0.05) in the frequency of dermoscopic features according to clinical findings was found, while we observed a strict association (p < 0.001) between the presence of yellowish-orange structureless areas on dermoscopy and "palisading granuloma" histology. CONCLUSION: The dermoscopic aspect of granuloma annulare is independent from clinical features but varies according to histological subtype, with the detection of yellowish-orange colour being indicative of the "palisading granuloma" variant.

Dermoscopy in General Dermatology: A Practical Overview.

Over the last few years, dermoscopy has been shown to be a useful tool in assisting the noninvasive diagnosis of various general dermatological disorders. In this article, we sought to provide an up-to-date practical overview on the use of dermoscopy in general dermatology by analysing the dermoscopic differential diagnosis of relatively common dermatological disorders grouped according to their clinical presentation, i.e. dermatoses presenting with erythematous-desquamative patches/plaques (plaque psoriasis, eczematous dermatitis, pityriasis rosea, mycosis fungoides and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus), papulosquamous/papulokeratotic dermatoses (lichen planus, pityriasis rosea, papulosquamous sarcoidosis, guttate psoriasis, pityriasis lichenoides chronica, classical pityriasis rubra pilaris, porokeratosis, lymphomatoid papulosis, papulosquamous chronic GVHD, parakeratosis variegata, Grover disease, Darier disease and BRAF-inhibitor-induced acantholytic dyskeratosis), facial inflammatory skin diseases (rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, discoid lupus erythematosus, sarcoidosis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, lupus vulgaris, granuloma faciale and demodicidosis), acquired keratodermas (chronic hand eczema, palmar psoriasis, keratoderma due to mycosis fungoides, keratoderma resulting from pityriasis rubra pilaris, tinea manuum, palmar lichen planus and aquagenic palmar keratoderma), sclero-atrophic dermatoses (necrobiosis lipoidica, morphea and cutaneous lichen sclerosus), hypopigmented macular diseases (extragenital guttate lichen sclerosus, achromic pityriasis versicolor, guttate vitiligo, idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, progressive macular hypomelanosis and postinflammatory hypopigmentations), hyperpigmented maculopapular diseases (pityriasis versicolor, lichen planus pigmentosus, Gougerot-Carteaud syndrome, Dowling-Degos disease, erythema ab igne, macular amyloidosis, lichen amyloidosus, friction melanosis, terra firma-forme dermatosis, urticaria pigmentosa and telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans), itchy papulonodular dermatoses (hypertrophic lichen planus, prurigo nodularis, nodular scabies and acquired perforating dermatosis), erythrodermas (due to psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, mycosis fungoides, pityriasis rubra pilaris and scabies), noninfectious balanitis (Zoon's plasma cell balanitis, psoriatic balanitis, seborrheic dermatitis and non-specific balanitis) and erythroplasia of Queyrat, inflammatory cicatricial alopecias (scalp discoid lupus erythematosus, lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia and folliculitis decalvans), nonscarring alopecias (alopecia areata, trichotillomania, androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium) and scaling disorders of the scalp (tinea capitis, scalp psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis and pityriasis amiantacea).

Dermoscopy of Grover's disease: Variability according to histological subtype.

Distinguishing Grover's disease from other papular dermatoses is often a troublesome task. According to two relatively recent case reports, dermoscopy may be useful in assisting the diagnosis of such a disorder by showing a peculiar pattern. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dermoscopic features of Grover's disease in a larger series of patients and correlate dermoscopy with histopathological findings. Seven patients with histopathologically confirmed Grover's disease were included in the study, with three of them displaying a Darier-like histology and the remaining four cases having a spongiotic histological pattern. The results of our study suggest that Grover's disease may display different features according to the histological subtype, with a central star-shaped/branched polygonal/roundish-oval brownish area surrounded by a whitish halo being characteristic of the Darier-like histological subtype and whitish scales over a reddish-yellowish background being characteristic of the spongiotic histological subtype.

Dermoscopy in differential diagnosis of palmar psoriasis and chronic hand eczema.

Clinical differentiation between palmar psoriasis and chronic hand eczema may sometimes be a diagnostic challenge; in such cases histopathological analysis helps to differentiate the two conditions. In the present study, palmar psoriasis and chronic hand eczema were investigated using dermoscopy and the significance of specific dermoscopic features was assessed in order to improve their non-invasive differentiation. Ten patients with biopsy-proven palmar psoriasis and 11 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hand eczema were included in the study. We found that the presence of diffuse white scales was significant in palmar psoriasis whereas the presence of yellowish scales, brownish-orange dots/globules and yellowish-orange crusts was significant in chronic hand eczema.

Dermoscopy of prurigo nodularis.

The diagnosis of prurigo nodularis is mainly clinical, based on its distinctive features. However, in some cases it may be difficult to differentiate it from other nodular dermatoses only on the clinical basis, thus requiring histopathological examination to reach a definitive diagnosis. The aim of this study was to describe for the first time the dermoscopic features of prurigo nodularis and the useful contribution of dermoscopy in the differential diagnosis of such dermatoses. Fourteen patients with histopathologically proven prurigo nodularis were included in the study. The results of our study suggest that the detection of a "white starburst pattern" surrounding brown-reddish/brown-yellowish crust(s), erosion(s) and/or hyperkeratosis/scales is a useful clue to support the clinical diagnosis of prurigo nodularis, distinguishing it from the other main differential diagnoses.

Dermoscopy in general dermatology.

In addition to its traditional use for the evaluation of skin tumors, dermoscopy continuously gains appreciation in other fields of dermatology. The patterns of several inflammatory and infectious skin diseases have already been described, and dermoscopy has been shown to improve the clinical diagnostic performance in the daily practice. The increasing use of dermoscopy was significantly enhanced by the development of the new generation hand-held dermatoscopes that can be easily placed in every dermatologist's pocket and do not require the use of immersion fluid. In this article, we provide an up-to-date summary of data on dermoscopy in general dermatology.