App develops new feature for use in skin self-examination

Digital health platform Miiskin has announced a feature for privately and automatically taking full-body photos of skin for use in skin self-exams.

Automatic Skin Imaging can help consumers identify new skin lesions, an important part of skin self-exams that is sometimes overlooked, and to more easily compare skin changes over time.   

Roughly 80% of melanomas appear as new marks or moles and 20% come from existing moles, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation. Automatic Skin Imaging is a simplification in the process of taking photos to identify new skin marks that may be worth bringing to your dermatologist for evaluation. 

Dr. Andrew Weinstein, dermatologist at Boyton Beach SKIN, said: “I cannot stress enough the importance of checking your skin at home. Visits with the dermatologist are important, but only represent a part of a proper skin surveillance regimen. One of my goals is to empower patients in between visits to the office. I recommend the Miiskin app because it’s intuitive to use and effective in getting patients to monitor their skin for changes. Their observations can prompt appropriate medical intervention and save lives. The ability for patients to do this on their own, in complete privacy, leaves no excuse for skipping skin self-exams.”

To take a full-body skin photo on your own: 

1. Place the phone on a stable surface and follow the audible instructions the app provides to you, guiding you in the process of capturing the images of skin.
2. Once the phone has detected you are in the proper position, it will guide you to move as it takes front and back photos automatically.
3. You can blur out sensitive sections of the photo if you wish to add to your privacy.
4. The app directs you to the Web Compare portal to compare photos side-by-side from previous sessions to identify any changes from one session to the next.

While Miiskin is available on both iOS and Android, the new Automatic Skin Imaging feature is rolling out to iOS users first. The feature uses a combination of the latest Apple framework combining Computer Vision and Augmented Reality in the ARKit 3 framework. 

Miiskin’s application of ARKit 3 uses technical computer vision capabilities to detect the scene and surroundings in combination with the person to photograph. The AR technology also augments the camera feed with a digital representation of a human being for visual assistance when learning how to use the new Automatic Skin Imaging feature.

Skin Mapping is Miiskin’s consumer version of traditional mole mapping technology used by dermatologists in clinics to track skin changes over time with high-resolution imagery. Without Miiskin, tracking changes in the appearance of skin or moles is time consuming and difficult to perform accurately. Soon, Miiskin users will be able to use Skin Mapping with the Automatic Skin Imaging feature to highlight spots on the skin.