The One Thing Dermlite DL5 Owners Need to be Look Out For

It's very rare that we receive calls or emails from customers who are reporting problems with their DL5. However, of the few problems that are reported, the faceplate (aka, "contact plate") falling off is one of them. 

In a "best case" scenario, you simply put it back on. But in a "worst case" scenario, when if falls and hits a hard surface, it can be damaged and sometimes the glass itself will "pop out." 

Unlike the DL4 or DL200 which have a "snap-on" faceplate, the contact plate for the Dermlite DL5 is a "screw-on" style. You can actually see threading around the rim of the dermatoscope, beneath where the faceplate attaches. To attach the faceplate, you just approximate it with that thread, gently apply pressure (but not too much) and then rotate. You'll feel it drop into those guides. And then from there just screw it on probably about an eighth of a turn (not even a quarter turn). 

When the face plate is properly seated and screwed on, it does not easily come off.

So when customers report that their "DL5 faceplate just falls off," there's likely one of two things happening:

• Defective faceplate (rare):
  • If you get a DL5 and the faceplate "rattles" or you feel a lot of "play" even after it's screwed down, then let us know. That would be a problem with the faceplate itself.
• Unscrewing through use (most common):
  • When you perform contact dermoscopy, if you're pressing the faceplate against the skin, but you don't realize that as you're rotating the DL5, the faceplate is being held in place by the friction/contact with the skin, it can become unscrewed. Refer to the video to see what is being described. 

Bottom line is that the "screw-on" design of the DL5 contact plate ("faceplate") is overall advantageous, as it does a great job of keeping dirt/dust out of the inner workings of the dermatoscope itself. And when fully-seated/screwed on, it's actually less likely to accidentally "pop off," should you accidentally drop your dermatoscope.

However, the disadvantage is that, depending on your "style" of performing contact dermoscopy, it can "unscrew itself" via contact with the patient's skin. 

So just be careful!