Your Smartphone Can Help Analyze Your Face and Body for Skin Cancer

Every year millions of cases of skin cancers are diagnosed.

The less aggressive basal and squamous skin cancers develop on the outer layers of the skin, melanoma the deadliest forms in the cells and accounts for thousands of deaths each year. Even with early detection, it can be deadly.

Telemedicine is a growing field with a handful of skin cancer detection apps to allow you to analyze your skin.

This week CNET reviewed four iOS and Android apps that can help you identify suspicious moles and marks, but you should still see a dermatologist or doctor.

It’s also a good idea to discuss your use of the app with your doctor.

• Miiskin allows you to compare photos of your skin and moles to spot any changes. Miiskin is dermatologically endorsed by the Skin Health Alliance.
• UMSkinCheck is intended for skin cancer self-exam and surveillance that allows users to complete and store a full body photographic library, track detected moles/lesions, download informational videos and literature and locate a skin cancer specialist.
• MoleScope is a skin magnifier that attaches to your phone. You can use it to take images of your moles and to determine if you should see a dermatologist.
• SkinVision uses a data processing algorithm to analyze photos of your skin and provide the results instantly on your phone.

Studies show that the accuracy of smartphone apps isn’t there yet. “I would not recommend that patients avoid these apps, but I would approach their results with cautious skepticism,” Dr. Friedmann a dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas, told CNET, “and counsel patients that suspicious lesions are best evaluated in-office.”

For the CNET review and link to the apps click HERE