??Dermatology Upside Down – Imagine if !??

Bearing in mind that

1. Low access to dermatology care should be alarming:?While skin diseases impact three billion people worldwide, it is estimated that more than 70% (or over two billion) of affected individuals do not consult a physician.
2. Skin-related misinformation is dreadful: At the same time?65% of the dermatology content shared on social media is judged as imprecise or confusing, 80% of people believe the skincare industry is “rife with misinformation”.

Imagine if !

1/ “Google Lens - Search for skin conditions” becomes available on a worldwide basis!By using the phone's camera to capture images of skin rashes or irritations, Google Lens can now analyze and determine potential conditions affecting the skin without the need to provide any textual description. Launched in the US in June 2023, this function is now available in several other countries.?

2/ “Google Gemini (previously called Bard)” becomes linked to Google Lens!Google has also recently revealed plans to integrate Google Lens into Google Gemini, enabling users to include images when composing a prompt. This integration aims to enhance the comprehension of user queries by Google's Generative AI.?

Dermatology will become Upside Down !

• Dermatologists will be overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of queries of mild to moderate forms, distracting them from handling severe forms of skin disorders.
• The pharmaceutical industry will face a shortage of drugs, and will have to increase its clinical dermatology training capacities.
• The skincare industry, especially medicated brands, will face consumers/patients with tons of queries about what their product can or can’t do.
• Skin-related misinformation will reach epidemic levels.

?The good news being that numerous skin patients will enter the dermatology care circle, but for this, there are two imperatives

1. Dermatologists and “skin-trained” Healthcare Professionals?must remain at the center of the dermatology care process.
2. Although Google has announced that their technologies are not intended as a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, Generative AI tools and algorithms should be properly vetted and then clinically tested. If not, AI designed for skin will prove to be toxic!

?To explore these innovations and shape the future of dermatology, skincare, and digital technology join us at the Skin & Digital Summit, where we lead the “Skin & Digital” narrative.

Sources: 谷歌 Google Health