Understanding Skin Cancer: A Guide to Basal Cell, Squamous Cell, and Melanoma

Teledermatology [49] is the provision of dermatology services without the need to consult a dermatologist in person. This procedure exists thanks to improvements and a higher ease of access to technologies such as the internet and dermatoscopes, as well as the average cameras being able to obtain higher quality images. With improvements to the camera and dermatoscopes, an average camera can be extended by a simple dermatoscope. This makes it able to capture images of a worrying skin lesion with dermoscopic-like quality. These images, along with a description, are sent through the internet to a queue. The queue is processed by teleconsultants (that are dermatologists). They determine if the lesion requires immediate attention, if the data is inconclusive or if it is benign. This feedback is given typically within a 24 hour period [49]. This method brings several advantages. An immediate opinion is not required, allowing specialists time to verify their conclusion. Despite usually taking 24 hours to provide a response, it is a signi?cant improvement to the current wait time to see a dermatologist. Lastly, this procedure allows access to dermatology care in remote regions where an expert might not be available. Despite these advantages, there has not been a consensus if teledermatology is comparable to dermatology. However, at its lowest point, it provided results slightly inferior to those of dermatology [49]. These results indicate that teledermatology is a viable way to streamline the triage of patients, ensuring the most urgent ones get treatment sooner. This improves the e?ciency of the work time of the dermatologists, as the healthier patients will not necessitate a physical consultation.