Health & Wellbeing

UMSkinCheck iPhone app for skin cancer self exams

UMSkinCheck iPhone app for skin cancer self exams
UMSkinCheck is available on iTunes for free
UMSkinCheck is available on iTunes for free
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The app helps you monitor spots that might develop into cancer cells
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The app helps you monitor spots that might develop into cancer cells
Scientists at University of Michigan created this app to raise awareness and help everyone screen for skin cancer
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Scientists at University of Michigan created this app to raise awareness and help everyone screen for skin cancer
The UMSkinCheck app directs you to photograph certain sections of your torso and limbs to document your skin's health
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The UMSkinCheck app directs you to photograph certain sections of your torso and limbs to document your skin's health
Pay attention to trouble spots where skin lesions can develop
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Pay attention to trouble spots where skin lesions can develop
There's plenty of photos that offer examples of what to watch for
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There's plenty of photos that offer examples of what to watch for
UMSkinCheck is available on iTunes for free
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UMSkinCheck is available on iTunes for free
Find out how to better protect yourself from the sun with information given in the app
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Find out how to better protect yourself from the sun with information given in the app
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With skin cancer the most common form of cancer in the U.S., most people have got the message and will have had a skin cancer screening at the doctor at some point. But how many actually receive check-ups with the frequency necessary to catch harmful lesions forming on the skin before they become lethal? Scientists at the University of Michigan have created an app called UMSkinCheck that directs users to take photos of themselves in order to perform self-checks for different forms of skin cancer.

Targeted primarily at users in the U.S., the app starts off with a questionnaire to determine your risk level, gathering information such as what region of the U.S. you live in, your age and complexion. Then you can set the frequency at which the app will remind you to do another round of screening photos – from a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of every 90 days.

The UMSkinCheck app directs you to photograph certain sections of your torso and limbs to document your skin's health
The UMSkinCheck app directs you to photograph certain sections of your torso and limbs to document your skin's health

Strike a pose is hardly applicable here. The app directs users to get into position for 23 photos. And with the app looking to capture images from top to toe, you'll need a trusted companion to play the photographer. In these 23 photos, you don't just snap random shots. The app defines the views, and your photographer just has to line you up to the silhouette on the screen. These photos capture the face torso and limbs in segments that can effectively show your skin in enough detail to identify marks.

Be prepared to take some stark photos. These are not flattering glamor shots. You'll need to stand up straight and sit in a chair in a well-lit room to get the right angles for the photos. Before you start to worry about these photos leaking onto the internet, be assured that the app is password protected and photos are taken in-app rather than through the camera app on your iPhone. With some caution, likely the only people who will see them are you, your designated photographer, and your doctor.

UMSkinCheck doesn't necessarily weed out the healthy freckles and moles from the potentially cancerous ones, but it does provide a baseline for you to compare with future screenings. Once you take photos, you can view each photo side-by-side with previous screenings so you can see if that mark is growing or changing in a suspicious way.

Find out how to better protect yourself from the sun with information given in the app
Find out how to better protect yourself from the sun with information given in the app

The app also provides useful information on the characteristics of melanoma and examples of common skin lesions, with photos to show the difference between seborrheic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma. Warning: it's graphic, though you've probably seen these kinds of pictures before. Sun safety, sunscreen tips and other helpful information is also built into the app.

A self-check every 30 days will help someone on high alert for skin cancer track suspicious moles and lesions outside of the usual annual screening at a doctors. But for someone who just wants a baseline and the ability to self-check, even every three months might feel like a little too often – but with potentially deadly melanoma easily treatable in the early stages, it's better to be safe than sorry.

The UMSkinCheck app is not the first of its kind. Gizmag wrote about MelApp last year, and a quick search on iTunes returns a number of free and paid apps aimed at early detection of skin cancer. There is also the Handyscope that turns an iPhone into a digital dermoscope, although this is aimed at health professionals.

UMSkinCheck is available as a free download on iTunes.

UM’s Doctor Michael Sabel talks about the app and why it's important in the video below.

Source: UofMHealth.org, iTunes, via The Atlantic

Introducing UMSkinCheck, a Mobile Skin Check App from the University of Michigan

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1 comment
1 comment
apprenticeearthwiz
Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in Australia too. Our bodies are capable of the most extraordinary adaptation to prevailing conditions. Our skin is our first line of defense and needs all the available information to efficiently adapt. In Australia, and probably the US, the hugely publicised advice is to wear sunscreen and sunglasses, both of which severely limit the information your body needs to adapt and, therefore, severely limits your body's adaptation. There is a large possibility that sunscreen and sunglasses increase the incidence of melanoma. How much melanoma is found in cultures with lots of sunshine and no sunscreen and sunglasses? The answer is, nowhere near as much.