What Happens After Dermoscopy?

Dermoscopy shows details that may not be visible during an ordinary skin examination, such as pigment patterns, blood vessels, or surface structures. A reassuring appearance may lead to observation, while an unclear or concerning appearance may lead to closer review or sampling. The result applies to the examined lesion; it does not assess every mole on your body.

Your clinician may photograph the area or record its size and location so that future visits can show whether it has changed. A recommendation for removal does not by itself establish cancer; it can be a way to obtain a definite diagnosis or prevent repeated uncertainty.

Keep any follow-up appointment and ask which spot is being monitored. Bring older photographs if you have them, and check the area occasionally without repeatedly touching or irritating it. Use sun protection and avoid picking at a scabbed or irritated lesion. If removal is advised, ask how the tissue will be examined and how to care for the site afterward. You can read about [Mole Removal](/treatments/surgical-dermatology/mole-removal/) if that becomes part of your plan.

Contact your dermatology clinic sooner if the spot changes noticeably in size, shape, colour, or surface, or if it repeatedly bleeds, crusts, becomes painful, or does not heal. Seek urgent medical help for bleeding that will not stop with firm pressure, spreading redness with fever, or severe pain after a procedure.

Ask whether the lesion needs monitoring, a biopsy, or removal; when it should be checked again; which changes should trigger an earlier visit; and whether photographs were saved for comparison.