New skin cancer iPhone apps get rave reviews: Is it worth a try?

A screenshot of University of Michigan's
new skin self exam iPhone app.

Ever since I read this article on CNET about University of Michigan's new skin check app, I've been dying to try it. Trouble is, like most Americans, I am lazy, and sometimes things like "downloading a new iPhone app" fall to the bottom of my priority list.

Today, I saw a report claiming that "Digital Aids Boost Self-Exams for Melanoma." My curiosity once again piqued, I decided to disrobe and give the app a try for myself. After three months of gathering data, scientists found that patients using the app were more than twice as likely to perform self exams and almost three times as likely to feel more confident in detecting a melanoma on their own skin. After trying the app for myself, here are the pros and cons.

The review

First of all, how frickin' cool is it that there is an iPhone app to help us become more aware of potential problem spots on our skin? We live in an increasingly digital world, so being able to set up reminders to perform skin checks is awesome. The University of Michigan app was super easy to find in the iTunes store. Just search "skin cancer." It's free. As for features:

Risk Factors
Based on my age, number of moles on my body, and the region I lived in, the app told me I had a low risk for developing melanoma. Ironic, eh? I wish it would have asked a few more questions--like, do you have a personal or family history of the disease? Or what about number of lifetime sunburns? Or past tanning bed use? Overall impression: Great concept, needs some work.

Full-Body Survey
I was mistakenly under the impression that I would be able to do this myself. There's no way. You absolutely need a buddy to help you with this. You also need to make sure your OK with that buddy getting up close and personal to take 23 pictures of you. More convenient than getting this done in the doctor's office, but what about aging patients who live by themselves? Or 26-year-olds who live in studio apartments and are too embarrassed to ask their friends to take the pictures for them? Overall impression: Wish there was a way to make this a one-man operation.

Lesion Tracker
This feature lets you take photos of suspicious spots that you can refer back to later to see if the mole has been evolving in any way. When I go see my doc, they usually do this with a high resolution camera. Not sure if it was the lighting in my apartment or just the resolution of my iPhone, but when I tried to snap a few photos of my skin, it was really hard to see them. This might be a good tool for me to mentally be more aware of where my potential trouble spots are, but I wouldn't trust the camera to show me any significant changes. Overall impression: Needs higher quality images for this to provide valuable data.

Self Exam
I loved this feature! No photos necessary, it just walks you step-by-step through a self skin exam. If you come across anything suspicious, you can mark that spot on your "virtual body" and check back on it later. I'm all about the self exam and do it frequently. I think this is a great way to educate people how to do skin exams properly on their own. Overall impression: Great tool.

Info Section
Some of the images here are a little cheesy, but for someone who is unfamiliar with skin cancer, it's definitely helpful to have the information readily available. Overall impression: Not bad.

I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed by some of the feature on the app, but I think this is a great first step. I look forward to feature versions that take into account some of the problems I had with photos, as well as a more comprehensive risk assessment tool. If nothing else, apps like this one are raising awareness about the importance of skin exams. Getting to know your body and what's normal for you is so crucial. When you see something that's out of the ordinary, then it's time to make an appointment with your dermatologist.

Have you tried one of these self exam apps? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

Hot dogs and health care

Happy 4th of July! As a side note, I was up in Vancouver, BC, over the weekend (which happened to coincide with Canada Day) so I feel like I'm double dipping in Independence Days. Oh well, fine by me. Let the BBQs begin!

I also wanted to throw a little belated celebration for the Supreme Court's recent upholding of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Politics aside, if more and more young people continue to develop melanoma (as trends suggest), then it is essential we have insurance so that we can detect malignancies as early as possible and treat them.

A little story of my own: A year or so after I graduated from college, I was working lots of lots of different temp jobs. I also decided to do a third unpaid internship, hoping I would be able to leverage my experience into a paid position--with benefits. Graduating from college in 2008, as you might imagine, made it difficult to find a job. Finding a job with health benefits and a retirement package? That was even harder. In the meantime, I was kicked off of my parent's insurance plan. I tried to secure my own coverage from several different companies, but was rejected everywhere I applied (not unlike the job market, eh?) I ended up being offered a COBRA-like insurance plan with a monthly premium of $330. I had a difficult decision to make: do I pay the $330 a month in case I get sick or do I take a risk and go without insurance?

It was during this time period that I went to the dermatologist for a routine skin check. As a frequent tanning bed user with a family history of skin cancer, I felt like I could rest easier if a doctor told me I was totally fine. Well, many of you know the rest of the story. I had a mole biopsied, and it turned out to be an early-stage melanoma. My overpriced insurance also came with high deductibles, but without it, I could have gotten myself into some major, major debt. I know I say this frequently, but most young people never imagine they'd be diagnosed with cancer in their 20s. I didn't see it coming. By letting young adults stay on their parents health insurance plans until their 26 and by guaranteeing health coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, we may be able to catch more melanomas before they metastasize--and prevent a myriad of other health conditions.

Have a great 4th everyone! Don't forget your sunscreen/sun-protective clothing!

Cancer can't be cute, right?

Amy's melanoma. Not what you'd expect, right?

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed when this image caught my eye. It was posted by Amy Harris Parks, a stage I melanoma survivor who had a similar tumor depth as me. Amy's caption said: "My melanoma. Just a small freckle changing colors and had a slight haze around it. Not all melanomas are BIG, BLACK, and SCARY! Please protect your skin!"

Amy has generously allowed me to share her picture because, unfortunately, I never thought to take one of my own. People often ask me: "How did you know you had skin cancer? How did you know when to go to the dermatologist?" Truth is, I didn't really know until I had a biopsy that my mole was cancerous. Like Amy's, it wasn't big, black, or scary. The only reason why I even went to a dermatologist to have my skin looked at was because I has a history of using tanning beds, and there were a few freckles or moles that had popped up as a result of all the UV exposure (one of those "new" moles ended up being malignant).

A few months before I had the malignant mole biopsied, I asked the guy I was dating: "Do you think this mole is ugly? Do you think I should get it removed?"

"No," he said, "I think it looks cute." Cute? How can cancer be cute?

Last month, the Huffington Post did an article on a survey that suggests nearly half of us don't know how to spot a cancerous mole. This is a frightening statistic because early detection is key in preventing skin cancer-related deaths. The Skin Cancer Foundation has some great information about self-exams on their website, but I also encourage you to see a doctor if you notice any changes in freckles or moles. And remember: it doesn't need to be big and black to be deadly.

How did you find your melanoma? I'd love to hear. Also, if you have any questions for Amy, leave a comment below and she'd be happy to answer them!