Dr. Whitney Bowe, a dermatologist in the New York tri-state area, said apps can help someone struggling with self-exams. Bowe normally sees patients once a year for a full-body skin check, but advises them to do self-skin exams on a monthly basis.
“For some people the self-exam can be very overwhelming, especially if they have a number of different moles, so you can envision that certain apps can be very helpful to remind the person to do their self-exam and help them keep track of their moles,” Bowe told FoxNews.com.
Mole tracking apps
Apps like Mole Mapper, developed by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), prompt users to take photos of their skin to help monitor the size, shape and color of their moles. Mole Mapper measures the size of a mole by comparing your photographs to a common reference object like a coin or pencil eraser. Users are asked to re-measure their moles in the app every 30 days to capture any changes that may occur over time.
“The most important thing that you’re looking for when you do a self-skin exam is a change or evolution, something that’s different about a particular mole,” Bowe said. “So some of these apps can replay images of one particular mole over time, making it easier to note whether there is indeed a change in that mole.”
Not only does the app aim to track potential skin cancers, but it was also designed to provide information for melanoma researchers at OHSU.
“They key to advancing our research is obtaining data, and lots of it. In addition, having access to data we can analyze over long periods of time— months, even years— will increase our ability to identify trends and make strides in research," Dr. Sancy Leachman, the chair of the department of dermatology in the OHSU School of Medicine and director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Melanoma Research Program, told FoxNews.com.
Mole Mapper is free to download and is available for iPhones.
My Skin Pal asks users to take pictures of their moles so they can revisit the images and apply color filters to identify potential suspicious patterns. My Skin Pal will even send you reminders when a mole hasn`t been scanned in a while.
It’s important to remember that these apps do not attempt to give a diagnosis. If you find any atypical moles that you’re worried about, you can share your photo history with a dermatologist in your area directly from the app. My Skin Pal is free to download and is available for iPhone and Android devices.
Bowe reiterated that the gold standard is going to your dermatologist, but sending a picture of your skin condition to a doctor will give you some initial feedback on whether or not you are in an emergency situation. However, Bowe is skeptical about any apps that use computer algorithms to tell you if a mole is suspicious or not.
“[Melanoma] is a very time-sensitive diagnosis— every single day that passes by counts. So if an app tells you ‘Hey you don’t need to worry about that mole,` and yet it’s actually an evolving melanoma, that can mean the difference between life and death,” she said.
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