need exposure, lighting and magnification.

top to toe examination including scalp, in and behind ears, in and around mouth, between fingers and toes checking nails also.

Auspitz sign

• Peeling off of surface scale reveals regular areas of pinpoint bleeding (seen in psoriasis)

• Due to thick adherent scale in psoriasis and proximity of vessels to stratum corneum

  

Woods light

• Ultraviolet light – 365nm
• Fluorescence in the visible range when applied to certain skin conditions e.g.
  • Erythrasma – coral pink
  • Pseudomonas – yellow green
  • Tinea capitis – light blue
  • Pigment – epidermal lighter, dermal darker
  • Porphyrins – red teeth, urine, blister fluid

Diascopy

• Test of blanchability. Apply pressure with a finger or glass slide and observing colour changes.
• Blanching: vascular (inflammatory or congenital), nonvascular (nevus)
• Non-blanching: hemorrhagic (petechia or purpura).

Dermoscopy

used for:

• Pigmented lesions – e.g. Melanoma