Florence couple creates new app aimed to spot skin cancer faster

FLORENCE, Ala. (WAFF) - A Shoals doctor and his wife are trying to get people who need help the most to the front of line at the dermatologist’s office.

Together, they designed a new app to help you check skin lesions before they become a problem. The app is called Check my Spot and with the app, you can send photos of your skin lesions to a certified dermatologist and if they see something concerning, they fast track you into see a dermatologist in your area. Elizabeth Webb says the app was created with one thing in mind.

“People are dying at an alarming rate of skin cancer,” Mrs. Webb said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that around 8,000 people could die from skin cancer this year alone and almost 98,000 could be diagnosed.

“In Alabama and across the nation and yet because of the extended wait times to get in to see a dermatologist, there’s these barriers to care,” Mrs. Webb said. “So people with serious skin lesions aren’t getting into the clinic on time.”

Mrs. Webb said people were coming up to them in public asking her to show Dr. Webb pictures of skin lesions because they could not get an appointment soon enough and they were worried. These interactions led the couple to design the app you can access at home. They hope that if a doctor can catch these lesions at the start, it will help more people stop it in time.

“Weeks to months make a huge difference in the survivability,” Dr. Webb said. “I think it’s going to use what everyone has in their pocket to help get them seen about serious skin lesions faster. Earlier detections matters to improve outcome particularly to save lives and reduce disfiguring surgeries if we can get people with skin cancers in sooner.”

The Webb’s said that the barriers to care push people out of seeking help when it comes to dermatological care. They are hoping this app will be an answer to those problems 24 to 48 hours after a patient submits a photo.

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