Teledermatology Advances: Use of Smartphones and Applications

Teledermatology (TD) is expanding in the United States and has evolved since its inception in the mid-1990s. Teledermatology is reliable with accurate diagnosis and management of skin disorders. 2 Mobile applications and dermatology applications usage has increased exponentially with providers and patients whose demographics are shifting to a younger population comfortable with technology and looking for convenience.3 There are over seven billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide which make it a suitable device for store and forward consultation for dermatology conditions.4 Dermatological conditions have been shown to be the most common condition patients visit the doctor and the most frequent reason for a consultation from their primary care provider. 5,6 The new development in TD is the use of a smartphone, with a dermatoscope attachment, in the monitoring and diagnosis of skin lesions with patient involvement.6 This technology is considered an advance due to several studies suggesting that primary care providers and dermatology staff can capture baseline images despite having little training in dermoscopy.