SIMSYS-MoleMate

Talking with many consultant dermatologists and GPs reveals that one of the main problems of diagnosing and monitoring pigmented lesions is the issue of subjectivity. When two people look at the same, non-uniform object, the chances are that they will not describe its color and shape in exactly the same way. When two digital photographs of the same subject are taken, without complicated equipment and procedures there will be subtle differences in lighting, angle and distance to the object, all things that can make the two pictures appear non-identical. Whether based on the expertise of the dermatologist, built up over years of specialization, or the ‘gut reaction’ of a GP seeing something new, it is extremely difficult to bring uniformity to diagnosis and treatment monitoring where the skin is concerned.

Up until now, getting simply a more detailed look at the surface of the skin has been the aim of skin imaging techniques. However, better magnification does not automatically lead to better classification when it is still only the eye that decides, based on color and shape alone. Health practitioners who examine or treat the skin need an objective, rigorous and repeatable way of characterizing and diagnosing lesions that can be reproduced and matched or compared in other clinical settings. Such a method needs to generate images, but these images must be backed up with spectroscopic data. It is the spectroscopic data, rather than the images, that actually determine the parameters for diagnosis.

Read the entire article Diagnosing Pigment Skin Lesions by Symon Cotton (1)