Scientists have developed a new, free iPhone application which could help you conduct a self exam to detect potential skin cancer, but there is a catch: You will have to fully expose yourself for results.
Developed by a team at the University of Michigan in the US, the new app, called UMSkinCheck, aims to make the already existing whole body photographic self-diagnosis a bit simpler and cheaper.
Instead of hiring a photographer for full body shots, the app allows one to take multiple shots of different body parts. In other words, one has to take 23 nude photographs in seven different poses that will be stored on an app. As you cannot take all the photos yourself, you will have to enlist a friend to help, LiveScience reported.
In addition to the full-body survey, the app includes many other useful tools. “You can do a self-exam, where it guides you through checking parts of your body that are most likely to have exposure to sun, a lesion tracker, so you can note if sunspots on your body have changed or become abnormal, and a risk calculator, which asks questions like your race and amount of freckles to determine your chance of developing melanoma,” the portal said.
There’s also important information on sun damage and tips on how to stay safe. A Characteristics of Melanoma tab shows images of what potential skin cancer could look like, a Sun Safety tab has tips on how to preserve your skin while outside and a Sunscreen Tips tab has lots of info on what kind of sunscreen to use and when to use it.
And there’s also a helpful feature for links on learning more about skin cancer and preventing it. Background info within the app says that “studies have shown that total body photography can be an important tool in helping track skin changes that could indicate skin cancer”.
