A Window Beneath the Skin: The History of Dermoscopy from Curiosity to Clinical Cornerstone

Ashfaq Marghoob

doi:10.5826/dpc.1601a7121

A Window Beneath the Skin: The History of Dermoscopy from Curiosity to Clinical Cornerstone

Authors

Ashfaq Marghoob Memorial Sloan Kettering Skin Cancer Center Hauppauge, USA

References

Zalaudek I, Lallas A, Moscarella E, Longo C, Soyer HP, Argenziano G. The dermatologist's stethoscope-traditional and new applications of dermoscopy. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr 30;3(2):67-71. DOI: 10.5826/dpc.0302a11. PMID: 23785649.

A Treatise on the Diseases of the Chest by R.T.H. Laennec (René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laënnec), Translated from French to English by John Forbes, 1823, Translator’s Preface by John Forbes, Quote Page 13-14, (First American Edition), James Webster, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Internet Archive)

Pierre Borel. De vero telescopii inventore published in 1655 & Observationum microscopicarum centuriae published in 1656.

Hueter C. Die Chelangioskopie, eine neue Untersuchungsmethode zu physiologischen und pathologischen Zwechen. Centralb Med Wissensch. 1879;13:225–7.

Unna P. Die Diaskopie der Hautkrankheiten. Berl Klin Wochen, 1885; 42:1016-1021.

Saphier J. Die Dermatoskopie. I. Mitteilung. Archiv für Dermatologie und Syphilis, 1920;128 (1):1-19.

Saphier J. Die Dermatoskopie. II: II. Mitteilung. Archiv für Dermatologie und Syphilis, 1921;132(1): 69-86.

Saphier J. Die Dermatoskopie: III. Mitteilung. Archiv für Dermatologie und Syphilis, 1921; 134(1):314-322.

Saphier J. Die Dermatoskopie: IV. Mitteilung. Archiv für Dermatologie und Syphilis, 1921; 136(2):149-158.

Hinselmann H. Verbesserung der inspektionsmöglichkeiten von vulva, vagina und portio. Münch Med Wschr. 1925;72:1733.

Hinselmann H. Die Essigsäureprobe ein Bestandteil der erweiterten Kolposkopie. DMW-Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift. 1938 Jan;64(02):40-2.

Goldman L. Some investigative studies of pigmented nevi with cutaneous microscopy. J Invest Dermatol. 1951 Jun;16(6):407-27. DOI: 10.1038/jid.1951.48. PMID: 14841402.

Goldman L. A simple portable skin microscope for surface microscopy. AMA Arch Derm. 1958 Aug;78(2):246-7. DOI: 10.1001/archderm.1958.01560080106017. PMID: 13558714.

Gilje O, Kierland R, Baldes EJ. Capillary microscopy in the diagnosis of dermatologic diseases. J Invest Dermatol. 1954 Mar;22(3):199-206. DOI: 10.1038/jid.1954.25. PMID: 13130901.

Ehring F. Geschichte und Moglichkeiten einer Histologie an der lebenden Haut [History and possibilities of histology of live skin]. Hautarzt. 1958 Jan;9(1):1-4. German. PMID: 13501698.

Ehring F, Schumann J. Vitalhistologische Befunde an der menschlichen Haut [Vital-histological findings in human skin]. Arch Klin Exp Dermatol. 1966;227(1):328-9. German. DOI: 10.1007/BF00502850. PMID: 5984775.

MacKie RM. An aid to the preoperative assessment of pigmented lesions of the skin. Br J Dermatol. 1971 Sep;85(3):232-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1971.tb07221.x. PMID: 5111687.

Fritsch P, Pechlaner R. Differentiation of benign from malignant melanocytic lesions using incident light microscopy. In: Ackerman AB, AB, Mihara I. Pathology of malignant melanoma. New York: Masson, 1981; 301-12.

Pehamberger H, Steiner A, Wolff K. In vivo epiluminescence microscopy of pigmented skin lesions. I. Pattern analysis of pigmented skin lesions. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1987 Oct;17(4):571-83. DOI: 10.1016/s0190-9622(87)70239-4. PMID: 3668002.

Steiner A, Pehamberger H, Wolff K. In vivo epiluminescence microscopy of pigmented skin lesions. II. Diagnosis of small pigmented skin lesions and early detection of malignant melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1987 Oct;17(4):584-91. DOI: 10.1016/s0190-9622(87)70240-0. PMID: 3668003.

Stolz W, Bilek P, Landthaler M, Merkle T, Braun-Falco O. Skin surface microscopy. Lancet. 1989 Oct 7;2(8667):864-5. DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(89)93027-4. PMID: 2571785.

Bahmer FA, Fritsch P, Kreusch J, et al. Terminology in surface microscopy. Consensus meeting of the Committee on Analytical Morphology of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dermatologische Forschung, Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany, Nov. 17, 1989. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1990 Dec;23(6 Pt 1):1159-62. PMID: 2273119.

Friedman RJ, Rigel DS, Silverman MK, Kopf AW, Vossaert KA. Malignant melanoma in the 1990s: the continued importance of early detection and the role of physician examination and self-examination of the skin. CA Cancer J Clin. 1991 Jul-Aug;41(4):201-26. DOI: 10.3322/canjclin.41.4.201. PMID: 2049635.

Benvenuto-Andrade C, Dusza SW, Agero AL, et al. Differences between polarized light dermoscopy and immersion contact dermoscopy for the evaluation of skin lesions. Arch Dermatol. 2007 Mar;143(3):329-38. DOI: 10.1001/archderm.143.3.329. PMID: 17372097.

Argenziano G, Soyer HP, Chimenti S, et al. Dermoscopy of pigmented skin lesions: results of a consensus meeting via the Internet. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003 May;48(5):679-93. DOI: 10.1067/mjd.2003.281. PMID: 12734496.

Tasli L, Kaçar N, Argenziano G. A scientometric analysis of dermoscopy literature over the past 25 years. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2012 Sep;26(9):1142-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2011.04262.x. Epub 2011 Oct 19. PMID: 22011191.

Tschandl P, Rinner C, Apalla Z, et al. Human-computer collaboration for skin cancer recognition. Nat Med. 2020 Aug;26(8):1229-1234. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-0942-0. Epub 2020 Jun 22. PMID: 32572267.

Navarrete-Dechent C, Pietkiewicz P, Abarzua-Araya A, et al. Ultraviolet induced fluorescent dermoscopy for the diagnosis of skin tumors: A multicenter study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2025 Oct 30:S0190-9622(25)03131-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.10.131. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41176254.