Unfortunately, you often have to put up with long waiting times for a visit to a dermatologist in this country. Skin screening apps promise a quick assessment of skin changes. Stiftung Warentest has checked whether such apps are worthwhile at all.
Many people panic when a mole or mole suddenly changes or new ones appear. Especially when it comes to the sensitive topic of skin cancer, skin screening apps promise quick relief from worries when it is shown that it is not cancer. But can one really rely on such statements? Stiftung Warentest says: yes.
The test included 17 skin screening apps, two of which specialized in skin cancer. In addition to the correct assessment, the focus was also on ease of use, the protection of health data and whether tips were given for taking photos.
The SkinScreener and Sqin apps received a bad test grade (“sufficient”). In the test, the algorithm made the most errors when assessing suspicious skin areas. Sqin was better in the assessment, but the app turned out to be unreliable because there were many problems after an update. Among other things, the app provided no assessment at all for the skin areas in two cases. The testers also criticized the clarity. At Dermanostic (overall rating: “satisfactory”), there was a fatal error: a doctor did not recognize one in three cases of black skin cancer and only recommended a check-up with a dermatologist in three months. The same happened with the Skin Check app, although it was advised to see a doctor as soon as possible. When it comes to skin cancer, misjudgments are of course particularly problematic, because if this is not treated in time, it can lead to death.
The skin screening app AppDoc received the best result (grade: “good”). The medical team almost always provided the correct assessment of the sent photos of the corresponding skin areas. There was only a deduction because once the message about a birthmark was rather incomprehensible. The apps iDoc24 and First Derm were also good, but there were clear deficiencies in the terms and conditions, so that in the end it was only rated “satisfactory”. SkinVision (grade: “satisfactory”) provides a good assessment of the skin areas, but there is no skin cancer detection there. The skin screening app can only assess the risk of skin cancer.
Using such skin screening apps can get very expensive. Most tested apps charge 25 euros per skin area to be assessed. That’s 100 euros for four birthmarks. For some, however, there is a flat-rate fee. Only Model Dermatology (overall grade: “satisfactory”) is free, but here you only get a list of possible diagnoses sorted by probability. Anyone over the age of 35 can go to the dermatologist for free skin cancer screening every two years. For those under 35, it depends on the health insurance company and their additional services. Sometimes the skin cancer screening is then partly or even completely taken over.
Important: Skin screening apps can by no means replace a visit to the dermatologist. Often, really problematic skin areas are not even recognized or seen as such, for example if they are on the back. The test by Stiftung Warentest also shows that you cannot rely on the judgment for most apps. However, a skin lesion identified as problematic by the app may result in an earlier doctor’s appointment. However, it is rather questionable whether it is worth spending money on such apps.