5 Minutes with Miiskin | Guest blog

26 October 2020 — david-allen

In light of COVID-19, many people are taking health into their own hands, and that includes digital solutions that help you keep an eye on your health while at home. The Miiskin app helps users monitor their skin for any changes that occur in between routine skin checks. We sat down with the company’s founder, Jon Friis, to discuss how this solution can help patients and dermatologists/physicians throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Tell us a little about Miiskin…

Miiskin is a digital health platform helping more than 500,000 people around the world routinely track their skin and moles for changes. The app simplifies the self-examination process and documents the skin’s appearance over time with high quality images, so the user is able to identify changes on their skin and seek medical clarification in time. A change on your skin, either a new mole appearing or a mole changing in color, shape or size, can be an early sign of skin cancer and should be discussed with your doctor. Early detection is important for successful treatment. The user can share the image documentation with their doctors in order to visualize their concern. Deploying the latest in machine learning, computer-vision and augmented reality, Miiskin reminds and empowers users to take photos of individual moles and full-body photographs of the skin. 

Why does Miiskin matter?

Miiskin is designed to help users monitor their skin and moles for changes. Dermatologists recommend that people at risk of skin cancer regularly check their own skin to find changes to existing moles or spot the appearance of new marks or moles.  Changes such as these can be an early warning sign of skin cancer and should be discussed with a doctor without delay.  Experts recommend that you keep photos of your skin taken over time to help you spot changes by comparing photos, and Miiskin makes this easy.

70% of melanomas start as new marks or moles on the skin rather than changes to existing moles. With Miiskin you can take photos of wide areas of your skin, including your back, and subsequent skin photos can then be compared side by side to help you spot any new marks or moles. Miiskin’s Automatic Skin Imaging photographs your skin for you, in complete privacy so you don’t need anyone else’s help and you can look for new moles on your skin more easily.

How is Miiskin used?

With Miiskin, it’s quick and easy to photo-document your skin month by month with both close-up and full-body, high resolution images. Users set reminders to take photos, and then simply go into the app, where it prompts you to take and securely store images. Using the latest in AI technology, users are able to take full-body photos completely hands-free, allowing users to take and store photos privately.

Users can then use these photos to track their own skin in between visits to the dermatologist, as well as share these directly with their dermatologist or GP at their next appointment to demonstrate any concerns. Photos can be viewed side by side within the app or viewed on a larger screen on a computer via the web platform.

Miiskin can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

What led you to start Miskin?

As a serial entrepreneur, I’m always looking for the next problem to solve. The idea for Miiskin came from somewhere very close to my heart – my partner, Rikke. Rikke has many moles and spots, and for years, we struggled with how to best keep an eye on them. The idea for Miiskin was born out of concern for my partner, and I soon discovered that many others struggled with this same dilemma. The app now has more than 500,000 downloads and is helping people worldwide to take better care of their skin.

Is Miiskin recommended by doctors and dermatologists?

The Miiskin app is recommended by a network of over 160 dermatology clinics and hospitals globally, and is the first skin tracking app​ to be listed on the EMIS App Store (UK) powered by IQVIA and the NHS App Library (UK) for further recommendation by general practitioners. We work closely with these dermatologists to determine how best we can continue to improve upon the app and help users in new and innovative ways.

Do you have any noteworthy partnerships helping to spread the word on Miiskin?

We do – in fact, Miiskin is partnered with the British Skin Foundation here in the U.K. Additionally, Miiskin is the first and only app partnered with The Skin Cancer Foundation in the U.S., along with the Danish Cancer Society, Cancer Association of South Africa, Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation, and are endorsed by The Skin Health Alliance. 

What is Miiskin’s mission?

Our mission at Miiskin is to end skin cancer mortality by 2040. With 500,000+ downloads worldwide, we are continuing to work each day to make this goal a reality.