Diagnosing pigmented skin lesions in general practice: Objective assessment of skin lesions is possible

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7424.1167-b

BMJ 2003;327:1167 (15 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7424.1167-b

Letter

Diagnosing pigmented skin lesions in general practice

Objective assessment of skin lesions is possible

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—The paper by English et al confirms a view thatserial photography does not alter the final diagnosis of a skinlesion¹; a suspicious lesion that remains will require a biopsyto confirm the pathological diagnosis.

With serial photography it is difficult to obtain a standardimage. The ambient lighting and other external factors changethe view of the skin lesion—objective comparisons aretherefore not possible. Furthermore, photographs may not differentiateskin lesions such as pigmented seborrhoeic keratoses and melanomas.

The dermatoscope is mandatory in evaluating a skin lesion andinvaluable in helping differentiate a benign or suspicious lesion.Although lesions may be assessed visually, what is requiredis an objective assessment that can be recorded or photographedthrough the dermatoscope.² Had English et al performed theirstudy by using the dermatoscope the results would have beenof major interest. Unfortunately this study contradicts thatby Del . . . [Full text of this article]

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M Dalvi Humzah, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon

Plastic Surgery Department, Wordsley Hospital, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 5QX dhumzah@hotmail.com

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