Combination dermoscopy highlights fungal invasion of vellus hair in tinea vellus

Conflict of interest: the authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Dear Editor, Tinea vellus has been termed a doubly misleading entity, both because of its unusual clinical presentation and the absence of filaments on the scales with dermatophyte invasion confined to the vellus hair.1 It has been recently reported that the presence of curly and coiled hairs is a new and specific trichoscopic feature of fungal infection of the vellus hair.2 Use of Wood lamp in a dark room can help identify Microsporum canis infection of the hair; however, this can be challenging because of the need for eye protection and the possible distressing effect of a dark room on small children. We assessed the diagnostic utility of combination dermoscopy [standard, polarized and ultraviolet (UV) light] in tinea vellus, using a smartphone to acquire images of the lesions. A 3‐year‐old boy presented with a 6‐month history of sporadic scattered erythematous papules on his face and alopecia on his scalp, which had developed gradually (Fig. 1a). The patient’s mother reported contact with a domestic cat.