Mobile app helps track moles

A new free app developed at the University of Michigan Health System (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) allows users to photograph suspicious moles or other skin lesions which they can then share with a dermatologist to obtain a medical diagnosis.

More than two million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, and some 50,000 will be diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious kind. Regular skin checks can help people discover melanoma in its earliest stages.

The app -- UMSkinCheck -- allows users to complete a full skin cancer exam and photo survey, track and create a history of moles and lesions and receive regular reminders to perform follow up self exams and check on lesions that are being tracked.

Developed by a team led by Dr. Michael Sabel, associate professor of surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, the app helps users to identify suspicious moles or lesions that may be cancer or growths that may develop into skin cancer (precancers).

The app is designed for iPhone and iPad and is available to download on iTunes here.

Editor's note: Researchers at the University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, UK) have also developed diagnostic software that can help health care workers correctly identify different types of skin lesions, leading to more effective diagnosis of skin cancer. You can read more about their research here.

-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design