Analyzing skin problems with a Dino-Lite

The Slovenian University of Applied Science (VIST) can be found in the capital Ljubljana. One of the studies that can be taken here is make-up cosmetics. In the courses the Dino-Lite DermaScope^® is used with great frequency by teacher Tina Pogacnik and lecturer Katja Zmitek. "With the DermaScope^® the students can see enlargements of the skin. This is important because it is not possible to be a good makeup artist without sufficient knowledge of the skin," says Zmitek. "Of course we pay attention to the different skin types such as oily or dry skin, but we also pay attention to problems associated with the skin such as clogged sebaceous glands. We use the DermaScope^® and show the pictures. This is all quite simple because the DermaScope^® is digital and easy to use. In some cases, we print a picture or we save it so that the students can still view them at home. It would be nice if we had more DermaScopes so that each student could learn to work with it, but for the moment we have to make do.

Preventive

Pogacnik and Zmitek are not only concerned with the beauty of the skin. The students are also taught to recognize a stye, comedones and other irregularities. They also pay attention to suspicious spots in the skin such as melanocytic and non-melanocytic lesions. Pogacnik: "With images of the Dino-Lite DermaScope, we want to teach our students enough for them to know when to send someone to a dermatologist. In that sense we have a preventive function."

Both Pogacnik and Zmitek are very happy with the DermaScope. Zmitek: "Yes, the device is easy to handle, robust and it makes clear digital images where the polarizing filter certainly helps. It is also nice that the DermaScope has built-in LED illumination. If only each student had his or her own DermaScope. Maybe this will happen someday".