It was Auspitz's mentor at the Medical University of Vienna (Ferdinand von Hebra) and Parisian dermatologist Marie Devergie who first noted the punctate hemorrhages underlying psoriasis scales.
[5] This pinpoint bleeding results from a thinning of the epidermal layer overlying the tips of the dermal papillae.
Blood vessels within the papillae are dilated and tortuous, and often bleed readily when the scale is removed.
[6] Although classically associated with psoriasis, subsequent research has found Auspitz's sign to be of very little diagnostic value for the disease.
[7] This overall indicates that Auspitz's sign is neither highly sensitive nor specific for psoriasis, and thus should only be used in combination with other findings to make a diagnosis.