Revealing The Unseen: A Review of Wood's Lamp in Dermatology

Abstract

In use for over a century, the Wood's lamp is a time-tested tool to aid in the diagnosis of certain superficial infections, pigmentary disorders, and metabolic diseases. To achieve its high utility, the Wood's lamp projects ultraviolet light onto the skin which in turn reflects a visible light that a trained eye can use to diagnose and monitor multiple dermatological ailments. Although new alternatives to Wood's lamp have been considered, it still remains a favored method of diagnosis because it is safe, cost-effective, and reliable. In this review, the authors explore the myriad applications of Wood's lamp in the field of dermatology.

Keywords: Wood’s lamp; dermatophyte; fluorescence; phosphor; porphyria; ultraviolet light.