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Dermoscopic utility in foreign body recognition and it’s removal
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*Corresponding author: Dr. Balachandra S. Ankad, Professor, Department of Dermatology, S. Nijalingappa Medical College, Near APMC, Navanagar, Bagalkot - 587 102, Karnataka, India. drbsankad@gmail.com
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Received: ,
Accepted: ,
How to cite this article: Ankad BS, Hurakadli SS. Dermoscopic utility in foreign body recognition and it’s removal. CosmoDerma 2023;3:91.
A 48-year-old male presented with pain over base of the left great toe while walking for 2 months. There was history of walking barefoot outside his newly built home. Examination revealed a deep-seated tiny ulcer [Figure 1a]. Dermoscopy with DermLite Foto Pro II with ×10 magnification showed intracutaneous red area and black structure [Figure 1b]. Possibility of a foreign body was thought. Grating sound was felt after inserting a needle. It was removed with a forceps. Repeat clinical and dermoscopy was done to check for any remnants [Figure 2a and b]. It was completely removed and identified as a broken glass piece [Figure 2b, inset]. This report highlights the importance of dermoscopy in identifying the structure, and distinguishing it from common conditions such as plantar warts or hematoma. Thus, it is utilized in the better management of the condition.

- (a) Clinical image shows tiny deep excoriation on the plantar aspect of left great toe. (b) Dermoscopy shows red (blue arrow) and black (yellow arrow) structures corresponding to ulcer and foreign body respectively. (DermLite Foto Pro II, Polarized, Dry, ×10).

- (a) Clinical image after removal of foreign body. (b) Dermoscopy after removal of foreign body shows red area (blue arrow) denoting the absence of foreign body. Broken glaas piece (inset). (DermLite Foto Pro II, Polarized, Dry, ×10).
Declaration of patient consent
The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.