Dermoscopy of oral labial mucosa according to age and sex in healthy adults: first observational dermoscopic study

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Background/Aim: Information on dermoscopy of the labial mucosa is limited to dermoscopic examination of several dermatological diseases of the labial mucosa. In this study, we investigated whether dermoscopic features of labial mucosa differ in age and sex in healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: The study included 152 healthy individuals (76 females and 76 males) aged between 20 and 83 years who applied to the outpatient dermatology department. For the evaluation of dermoscopic features, the patients were divided into two groups as age under 40 years (Group 1) and over 40 years (Group 2). Dermoscopic data were analyzed by age and sex. Results: In Group 1, clear reticular arrangement (40.4% vs. 13.8%, P = 0.001) and honeycomb appearance (7.4% vs. 0%, P = 0.033) were significant. In Group 2, mixed reticular arrangement (61.7% vs. 82.8%, P = 0.006), grouped hairpin vessels (48.9% vs. 69%, P = 0.016), yellow background areas (87.2% vs. 98.3%, P = 0.018), dotted vessels (33% vs. 62.1%, P = 0.000), matchstick hairpin vessels (6.4% vs. 19%, P = 0.017), microaneurysm (3.2% vs. 32.8%, P = 0.000) were significant. While clear reticular arrangement and purple areas were more common in females, mixed reticular pattern and grouped hairpin vessels were more frequent in males. Conclusion: In this study, significant differences were found in dermoscopic features according to age and sex in healthy individuals. These results will serve as the basis for studies on the effect of systemic diseases on oral labial mucosa and studies on localized mucosal diseases.