(dĕr-mat'ŏ-skōp‵ )

[dermato- + -scope]

An instrument used to perform dermatoscopy. Older dermatoscopes consist of a low-power (10×) magnifier, a nonpolarized light source, a transparent plate, and a light layer of mineral oil between the instrument and the skin. The mineral oil allows inspection of skin lesions without reflection from the skin surface. More recent dermatoscopes use polarized light to eliminate skin surface reflections.

SEE: dermatoscopy; videodermatoscope.