Dermoscopy (or dermatoscopy) is a painless examination that magnifies a mole and shows its structure, well beyond what the eye sees alone. It helps the dermatologist tell a benign lesion from one that needs watching or removing, and screen for melanoma and other skin cancers at a stage when they are best treated. In Marrakech, where the sun is intense almost all year, a regular check is a good habit. Dr Sara Zahid, dermatologist in Guéliz, does it in consultation, with digital dermoscopy that also lets images be compared from one year to the next.
The dermoscope is a lit magnifier that removes the reflections of the skin. It reveals the structure of a pigmented lesion: network, dots, vessels, regularity of colour. These details, invisible to the naked eye, make it possible to recognise an ordinary mole, an age spot, an angioma or a suspicious lesion. In digital form, the image is kept and compared from one check to the next.
A check of the whole skin, at least once a year, is especially advised if you have fair skin, many moles, sunburn in childhood or adolescence, a family history of melanoma, or if you are heavily exposed to the sun. On olive or dark skin, skin cancers are less common but exist: a lesion that changes, especially on the palm, the sole of the foot or under a nail, should be examined.
The ABCDE rule helps spot a suspicious lesion: Asymmetry, irregular Borders, uneven Colour, Diameter above 6 mm, Evolution (change in shape, size or colour). Also consult for a spot that bleeds or itches, a sore that does not heal, or an “ugly duckling”, a mole that looks different from the others.
The examination is painless and needs no preparation, in consultation. The dermatologist examines the whole skin, including the scalp, nails and hard-to-see areas, then looks closely at lesions that raise questions with the dermoscope. The check generally lasts 20 to 30 minutes. Depending on the result, she decides on monitoring, a later re-check or removal.
A benign mole is monitored, with nothing done. A doubtful lesion can be removed under local anaesthetic, at the clinic, then sent to the laboratory for analysis, to get a certain diagnosis. This analysis is systematic: a suspicious lesion is not removed just to be thrown away. The medical dermatology page details the procedures carried out at the clinic.
A check is not protection. To protect yourself: avoid exposure in the hottest hours, wear a hat and covering clothes, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen in sufficient quantity and reapply it, avoid tanning beds. In children, protection matters even more. The skin longevity page covers this more widely.
At the Skin & Aesthetic Clinic, in Guéliz, with Dr Sara Zahid, dermatologist, by appointment, in French, English or Arabic.
A painless examination that magnifies a skin lesion with a lit magnifier, to see its structure and decide whether it is benign or needs watching.
At least once a year in general, more often if you have many moles, fair skin or a family history of melanoma.
With the ABCDE rule: asymmetry, irregular borders, uneven colour, diameter above 6 mm, evolution. A mole that bleeds or changes should be examined.
No, the examination is painless and needs no preparation.
Yes, even if it is less common: it sometimes appears on the palm, the sole of the foot or under a nail. A lesion that changes should be examined whatever the skin colour.
The dermatologist can remove it under local anaesthetic and send it for analysis to confirm the diagnosis. A suspicious lesion is never removed without analysis.
A child’s moles are monitored in consultation if they change or worry you; sun protection is the most important point.
Not necessarily: the examination covers the whole skin. Mention what worries you and what has changed since the last check.
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