Dermoscopy in the Evaluation of Amelanotic Skin: Two Case Reports on Its Use in the Nigerian Albino

Dermoscopy has been widely used for evaluation of pigmented lesions and the benefits of its use have been enormous especially in the early detection of melanoma. Its efficacy in the evaluation of the albino skin is also worthy of recognition. We report two cases of persons living with albinism where the dermoscopy was very useful. The first was a 35 yr old clergy man with oculocutaneous albinism, who presented with a plaque on the temporal aspect of the face. Dermoscopy showed adherent scales in keeping with actinic keratosis. The second patient was a 25 yr old carpenter presenting with hyperpigmented macular eruptions involving both upper extremities, upper back and neck. Lesions had been present for 10 years. Dermoscopy revealed moth-eaten edges and finger print cords suggestive of solar lentigines.