SkinSpecs: A solution that addresses an unmet need for tracking chronic skin diseases in the office and at home

Introduction: Currently there are no portable solutions to robustly document and longitudinally monitor dynamically changing chronic skin conditions. This study set out to engineer and test a mobile-based 3D imaging solution for chronic skin diseases to enhance clinical workflow and patient care. Methods: SkinSpecs uses smartphone-captured videos of patients’ skin disease and renders 3D true-to-life models that were evaluated by Stanford Health Care dermatologists. Results: We utilized video input to accurately reconstruct interactive 3D models of 16 different skin conditions from 31 patients. Assessment of SkinSpecs 3D reconstruction is faster (p<0.05) compared to descriptive exam, standard photographs or original videos. Dermatologists maintained highest accuracy, confidence and satisfaction with 3D reconstruction.  Dermatologist preferred SkinSpecs for documentation over other capture modalities. SkinSpecs was favorably used by dermatologists, with high satisfaction with resolution, breadth of visual information, time and ability to pick up incidental findings. Conclusion: We identified a proof-of-concept solution to objectively and robustly capture skin disease, with an office and home workflow that is acceptable to providers and patients. This fast, scalable method is deployable on smartphones and could be utilized to augment clinical decision making in the clinic and to empower patients at home.