Dermoscopic features of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions

Objective: This study aimed at determining the dermoscopic characteristics of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and comparing these characteristics to the previous results. Materials and Methods: The prospective study included a total of 225 lesions from 69 patients with the ages between 1 and 70 years who were admitted to our dermatology clinic between March 1, 2016, and August 1, 2016, diagnosed with CL using smears of skin lesions, and did not receive any previous antileishmanial treatment. Results: When the lesions were dermoscopically examined for their general characteristics, the most common findings were erythema (100%), teardrop-like structures (59.1%), and hyperkeratosis (53.3%). The most common vascular structures in the lesions were linear vessels (50.2%), dotted vessels (39.6%), and hairpin-like vessels (32.9%). Conclusion: Our data were comparable to those of the previous studies in literature. Although there is no specific dermoscopic feature specific to CL, we presume that dermoscopic findings may contribute to differential diagnosis in the presence of clinically similar cutaneous lesions.