Table 3.

Dermoscopic differentiation of dermatosis closely similar to dermatophytosis

Dermoscopic features	Dermatophytosis	Nummular eczema	Pityriasis rosea	Psoriasis	Lichen planus
Background color	Reddish-brown* Grayish-black £	Orange-red* White £	Yellowish-brown	Homogenous pink or red	Grayish-blue
Scales	White  Perifollicular  At periphery  In the skin lines	Yellow  Diffuse	White  At periphery	White  Bright,  Diffuse	White  Both in center and in periphery
Vasculature	Red dots  At periphery	Red dots Clusters	Red dots At periphery	Red dots Diffuse	Red dots  At periphery
Follicular structures	Perifollicular scales, Hair changes ¥	No changes	No changes	No changes	Follicular plugging (only in hypertrophic and follicular variants)
Special clues	Black and red globules	Yellow clod sign	Brown dots	None	Wickham striae as streaks

*Acute lesions £Chronic lesions, ¥Details in the text and in Figures 7 and 8