KOH Smear

In dermatology, a potassium hydroxide (KOH) mount of a skin scraping is a common procedure performed to demonstrate the evidence of fungal infection in skin, hairs and nails. It can be done on an outpatient basis and the results are available within one to two hours. In experienced hands, a potassium hydroxide mount is one of the most useful procedures in medical mycology. It is generally employed in cases of doubt to establish a fungal cause. Common fungal infections like ring worm, intertrigo, nail infections etc can be diagnosed precisely with this method. In present day clinical practice, it is commonly used in cases of ring worm whose morphology has changed drastically due to excessive use of steroid creams.