Access Dermatology

Summary

In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a microscopy-based, novel noninvasive imaging method that permits visualization of cells and structures in living skin in real time with resolution close to histological analysis. RCM has been successfully used to visualize and diagnose benign and malignant lesions. The noninvasive nature of this technique allows repetitive sampling without biopsy collection, causing no additional damage to the affected areas and constituting an excellent tool to evaluate the response to treatment. This article summarizes the current state of RCM and its application in the practice of dermatology, including the latest technological advances as well as examples of applications in the characterization of different skin pathologies.