A new Google tool taps into artificial intelligence to determine the condition of your hair, nails and skin. Set aside the creepy surveillance and personal information harvesting and what Google will do with these personal details for the moment. The way this new derma-technology works is quite remarkable.

How Googles’ new AI Dermatology Assist Tool works

1. Use your phone to take a close up pic of the skin concern
2. Answer some basics about yourself
3. Google analyzes the photo and information comparing to thousands of previous diagnosed images
   
4. “Suggested conditions” are shown on next screen along with a warning that its not a medical diagnosis
5. Google suggests whether it’s contagious, duration and treatment
   

Google’s new “Dermatology Assist Tool” demonstrated at its annual developers conference will be coming to phone screen later this year in the form of an app.

Why it’s a medical breakthrough

AI may be better than the trained human eye. Google claims this derma-tool can recognize 288 skin conditions after a 3 year development path that involved studying 65,000 images of diagnosed conditions. It is reported to work with all shades and tones of skin but also leans on information required by the patient to answer from a series of health-related questions.

The app could help people find out if there is a high chance their condition is harmless or not. Does this red mark on my arm require professional treatment, over-the-counter medicine, or private label cbd skincare to manage? The answer could very well come from the app.

While not approved as a medical tool in the U.S., European regulators have already awarded it a CE mark paving its path to be used as a medical tool. Google says this does not replace proper medical treatment and diagnosis, but clearly it may one day. The FDA has yet to approve this app but has approved a similar app previously.

10 billion searches for skin, hair and nail issues are logged on Google’s search engine every year. All I know is this is going to have more and more amateurs calling themselves Dr. Google for better or for worse.

The truth is that with more and more refinement on this Dermatology Assist app could turn out to save lives. Think about the number of proven cases where a regular viewer noticed a suspicious spot on a tv performers skin, notified the production of their concern, and it turned out to be true time and time again.

Smartphone Tip for Skin Problems

In the meantime, one tool you can use to help with measuring suspicious skin ailments is to put a clean quarter or dime next to the spot and take photos every day to show a dermatologist how it is progressing. That can be a powerful series of photos for a doctor to into your care.

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