We get a lot of emails that start the same way: "I've been told to get a dermatoscope for my placement, and I've no idea what I'm looking at." Fair enough. If you've only ever seen one in a consultant's hand, they all look much alike. They're not, though, and a few simple checks will save you buying the wrong one.
This guide is written for medical, nursing and veterinary students, GPs, vets and others who've been trained to use one. It's about choosing the instrument, not about how to assess skin, which is something your course or supervisor will teach you properly. Everything we sell in this range is for professional, veterinary, training or educational use.
What a dermatoscope actually does
A dermatoscope is a lit magnifier that sits on or just above the skin. It lights the surface evenly and enlarges it, so you can see colour, pattern and structure in moles, pigmented areas and other skin changes far more clearly than with the naked eye. Some models are also used on the scalp and hair, and vets use them on animal skin.
So the two things you're really paying for are the quality of the light and the quality of the lens. The rest is comfort and practicality.
Magnification: is 10x enough?
For most students and general clinicians, yes. 10x is the standard you'll see on most handheld dermatoscopes, and it's what our own models offer. It's enough to see fine detail while still keeping a decent area of skin in view.
If you're offered a much higher figure on a cheap handheld, be a bit wary. More magnification on a basic lens often just means a smaller, dimmer, blurrier picture. A focusable lens matters more than a big number, because everyone's eyes are a little different and being able to sharpen the image makes a real difference over a long clinic.
LED or halogen bulb?
This is the biggest practical choice you'll make.
- LED gives a bright, white, even light and the LED itself lasts a very long time. It's the easy choice if you just want something that works every day.
- Bulb-lit sets on a traditional battery handle are the classic design. They work well, but bulbs do eventually go, so it's worth having a spare in the case.
Whichever you pick, check what batteries it takes before you're standing on a ward with a dead handle. Our veterinary dermatoscope set, for example, runs on a standard medium handle that takes 2 x C batteries (not included) and comes with a spare bulb.
Contact heads and measuring
Most dermatoscopes have a clear contact plate at the front that rests gently on the skin. Look at what comes in the box:
- Plain contact heads for everyday viewing.
- A metered (scaled) head, marked in millimetres, so you can note the size of what you're looking at. This is handy for record keeping and for comparing over time. Our veterinary set includes one marked from 1 to 10 mm.
- Spare heads, which make cleaning between patients much easier.
Whatever you buy, clean the contact surface after every use following your clinic's procedures, and wipe the lens with a soft cloth only.
Comfort, weight and the case
It sounds minor until you've held one through a full afternoon list. A lightweight, compact LED model is easy to carry between rooms or on home visits. A heavier stainless steel body feels solid and tends to survive being dropped. Our black chrome LED dermatoscope is shaped to suit both left- and right-handed users, which is worth checking if you're a leftie.
Don't skip the case. A hard, impact-resistant case keeps the lens from getting scratched in a bag full of pens, keys and stethoscopes. A scratched lens is the quickest way to ruin a good dermatoscope.
Quick checklist before you buy
- 10x magnification, ideally with a focusable lens
- LED for low fuss, or bulb-lit with a spare bulb
- You know which batteries it needs
- Plain and, if useful to you, metered contact heads
- Comfortable in your hand (left or right)
- A proper hard case
If you're a vet or vet student, the same checklist applies. A focusable lens and a measuring head are especially useful when you're working through fur and can't always get a perfect view.
Which one should I get?
If you want simple and reliable for daily clinic work, go LED. If you'd like a traditional handle-based set with measuring heads included, the bulb-lit veterinary set covers that well. And if your course has given you a list, go with what's on it; your tutors know what you'll be using.
You can see our full range of dermatoscopes, otoscopes and ENT sets in our Medical & Dental Instruments collection. Not sure which suits your course or practice? Drop us an email at ukcraftandhealth@gmail.com and we'll happily talk you through it.