Dermatology is based on a visual assessment of the clinical condition presented by the patient. It is subject to a thorough clinical and microscopical examination.
Dermoscopy is employed as an auxiliary tool in the examination of the skin. It is a non-invasive technique that improves the clinical diagnosis of skin lesions and makes it possible to recognize skin structures that are not visible to the naked eye.
Dermoscopy can be considered as an intermediate step between presumptive clinical diagnosis and histopathological confirmation. That is why dermatoscopes are a fundamental tool to improve the diagnosis of the most frequent pigmented skin lesions.
Dermatoscopes are decisive instruments for determining the prognosis of skin lesions in 90 % of cases, while clinical observation provides an accurate diagnosis in 60 % of cases. In other words, dermatoscopes increase diagnosis precision during consultations, when patients’ main concern is whether they have cancer.
Although the first dermatoscope prototype appeared in 1920, its usefulness for the evaluation of tumor skin lesions has been recognized since 1971. They are currently an essential tool for the diagnosis of pathologies such as carcinoma and melanoma.
In this sense, we would like to highlight today the reliable diagnostics by Heine Delta 30 high-end dermatoscopes with the best image available on the market. These dermatoscopes have a 32-mm lens and offer the practitioner a larger true field of view.
Heine Delta 30 dermatoscopes provide an extremely sharp image thanks to the new achromatic Heine optical system and color reproduction with LED HQ technology.
The main difference between polarized and non-polarized dermoscopy is the depth of the visualized skin structures. In this regard, Heine Delta 30 dermatoscopes allow switching between polarized and non-polarized illumination at the touch of a button, giving the practitioner better observation possibilities. In the polarized mode, the light reflected on the skin is removed by a polarization filter and generates a similar effect to that of a non-polarized mode combined with immersion fluid. While non-polarized dermoscopy is the most suitable one for the exploration of structures in the superficial layers of the skin, polarized dermoscopy is better suited for scanning deeper layers.
On the other hand, thanks to the detachable contact disk, the HEINE DELTA 30 dermatoscope can be used for both contact and non-contact examinations. In contact mode, the patient is examined with the dermatoscope applied directly on the skin, while in non-contact mode the exploration is performed with the dermatoscope placed at an approximately 1-cm distance from the skin, after having removed the contact disk.
Another feature of this instrument is that it allows the practitioner to select between three levels of light intensity to adapt the brightness to each patient’s skin color and type.
The Heine Delta 30 can be connected to virtually any smartphone via a universal connector in combination with a suitable hard holder for cell phones.
It also offers different digital documentation alternatives. One of them, through the unique Heine Derm app, which allows users to create images, place them on a body map and annotate them with comments, risk levels, diagnoses and treatments.
This digitalized system allows professionals to create a general map of each patient’s moles with excellent storage and management of dermoscopic digital images. In this way, they will have the possibility to follow up on the skin during subsequent visits by easily comparing images from previous scans to check whether the area has changed or not.
The HEINE DERM app is available for iOS and Android™.