Preventing Cross-Infection During Polarized Dermoscopy Using Hand Held Dermoscopes.

Problem Faced

Cross-infection is a problem with contact dermoscopy in the context of infectious dermatoses. Various methods have been suggested to avoid cross-infection during contact dermoscopy.[1] Most hand-held polarized dermoscopes come with the option of removing the contact plate for polarized dermoscopy. This allows better visualization of some structures, especially vascular structures, which might be otherwise affected because of the pressure of the contact plate and reduces the chance of cross-infection because only the rim is in contact with the skin surface. However, the rim itself can be a source of cross-infection.

Solution Proposed

We used a readily available plastic cap of a bottle of commercially available bottled drinking water and modified it to use as a rim protector for polarized dermoscopy [Figure 1a]. The rim protector is applied after removing the contact plate. The outer groove provides a snug fit for the rim of the dermoscope and ensures that the viewing distance is not affected to ensure good focus [Figure 1b-d]. Bottle caps of different sizes are easy to obtain according to the size of the dermoscope and can be sterilized easily. Another alternate method is to use a transparent plastic sheet and cut a hole in the middle, which is less than the diameter of the dermoscope rim [Figures 2 and 3]. Incidentally, there is a recent report mentioning the use of a cut 50 cc syringe, which can serve as a spacer for procedures like dermoscopy-guided biopsies.[2] We would like to propose that the same can be used as another method for cross-infection control [Figure 4].

Figure 1

(a) Plastic bottle cap, with the central area removed. (b) Hand held dermoscope – Dermlite II pro HR, with the contact plate removed. (c) Cap fitted over the rim of the dermoscope. (d) Dermoscopy using the device

Figure 2

Thin plastic sheet with a hole cut in the middle, which is less than the diameter of the dermoscope rim

Figure 3

Polarized dermoscopy with the dermoscope rim placed over the plastic sheet

Figure 4

Using a cut 50 cc syringe as a spacer

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.