A device for producing a plurality of images for assisting in characterizing skin lesions, the device comprising a capturing unit, in particular a video dermatoscope, for selectively illuminating and capturing recordings of an area of skin presenting a skin lesion, the capturing unit comprising magnifying optics providing optical magnification of the area of skin for capturing morphological structures of the skin lesion; a focusing unit associated with the magnifying optics and configured to place a focal plane of the magnifying optics in a plurality of different depth planes (t 1,..., t n) below a skin surface (t 0) of the area of skin starting from the skin surface, preferably in steps; a control unit configured to control the focusing unit and/or the capturing unit and preferably controlling them in such a manner that the capturing unit captures a recording when the focal plane is located in a respective depth plane (t 1,..., t n); a processing and output unit for image production based on the image information provided by the capturing unit; and the processing and output unit being configured to display a respective detail image of morphological structures of the skin lesion in a respective depth plane (t 1,..., t n) as a live video image and/or as an individual image in combination with a variable control element for displaying and/or adapting the respective depth plane (t 1,..., t n) and/or in combination with a captured reference image of the skin lesion, characterized in that the magnifying optics provides at least 160 x, preferably at least 240 x optical magnification of the area of skin for capturing morphological structures of the skin lesion, and the focusing unit is configured to selectively place the focal plane, automatically or manually, in a depth plane (t 1,..., t n) of 1 to 50 μm below the skin surface (t 0). a capturing unit, in particular a video dermatoscope, for selectively illuminating and capturing recordings of an area of skin presenting a skin lesion, the capturing unit comprising magnifying optics providing optical magnification of the area of skin for capturing morphological structures of the skin lesion; a focusing unit associated with the magnifying optics and configured to place a focal plane of the magnifying optics in a plurality of different depth planes (t 1,..., t n) below a skin surface (t 0) of the area of skin starting from the skin surface, preferably in steps; a control unit configured to control the focusing unit and/or the capturing unit and preferably controlling them in such a manner that the capturing unit captures a recording when the focal plane is located in a respective depth plane (t 1,..., t n); a processing and output unit for image production based on the image information provided by the capturing unit; and the processing and output unit being configured to display a respective detail image of morphological structures of the skin lesion in a respective depth plane (t 1,..., t n) as a live video image and/or as an individual image in combination with a variable control element for displaying and/or adapting the respective depth plane (t 1,..., t n) and/or in combination with a captured reference image of the skin lesion, characterized in that the magnifying optics provides at least 160 x, preferably at least 240 x optical magnification of the area of skin for capturing morphological structures of the skin lesion, and the focusing unit is configured to selectively place the focal plane, automatically or manually, in a depth plane (t 1,..., t n) of 1 to 50 μm below the skin surface (t 0).