The basic principle of dermoscopy is transillumination of a lesion in order to study it with high magnification to visualize subtle features.
Light incident on a surface like the skin may be reflected, refracted, diffracted and/or absorbed [Figure 1A].
The physical properties of the skin influence these phenomena.
Handheld dermatoscopes usually allow a 10-fold magnification, which is usually satisfactory for the daily practice.
In addition, lower magnifications have the benefit of providing a better overview of a large scalp area.