AI dermatologist — free online skin check from a photo, in seconds

What the AI dermatologist looks at in your photo

A dermatologist reading a rash works through the same handful of features every time, and so does the model: colour and whether it blanches, the shape of the edges, whether the spots are flat, raised, fluid-filled or scaly, how they are grouped, and where on the body they sit. Those features are what separate the common look-alikes:

• Eczema and contact dermatitis — dry, itchy, often in creases or where something touched the skin
• Hives (urticaria) — raised pink wheals that move around over hours
• Fungal rashes — ringworm’s clearing centre, athlete’s foot, intertrigo in skin folds
• Insect bites and stings — grouped, central punctum, sometimes a spreading ring
• Shingles — painful blisters in a band on one side of the body
• Acne, rosacea and folliculitis — follicle-centred bumps and pustules
• Psoriasis — well-defined plaques with silvery scale, often on elbows, knees and scalp
• Impetigo and other infections — honey-coloured crusts, spreading redness, warmth
• Moles and spots — screened against the ABCDE warning signs

You can add a sentence of context before you send the photo — how long it has been there, whether it itches or hurts, anything new you have used on the skin — and the assessment takes that into account the way a doctor would.

How to take a photo it can actually read

1. Daylight, no flash. Flash flattens colour and hides texture.
2. Twenty to thirty centimetres away, in focus. Tap the screen to focus on the skin, not the background.
3. Two photos if you can. One close-up, one showing where on the body it is. Send the close-up first.
4. Something for scale. A coin or a ruler next to a mole or lesion helps a lot.
5. No filters, no editing. Beauty modes change exactly the features that matter.
6. Crop out what you don’t want seen. Faces and tattoos are not needed for the assessment.

What you get back

The reply is a structured report rather than a chat message, so it is easy to act on and easy to show someone else:

1. Clinical observation — what the model sees, in plain words and the medical term
2. Differential diagnosis — the three to five conditions that fit
3. Assessment — which of those is most likely, and how confident it is
4. Urgency — routine, monitor, urgent within 24–48 hours, or emergency
5. Next steps — home care that is safe to try, and when to be seen
6. Red flags — the changes that should send you to a clinic
7. Sources — NIH, CDC or WHO references for the conditions considered

Rash identifier and rash checker

The most common reason people come here is “what is this rash?” — on an arm, a leg, the face, the neck, a child’s back. A rash identifier takes a photo of the patch of skin and narrows it to the few conditions that fit — eczema versus contact dermatitis, hives versus bites, ringworm versus a dry patch, heat rash versus a viral rash. Add one line of context (how long, whether it itches, anything new on the skin) and you get a ranked list rather than a guess, plus an urgency line that tells you whether it can wait. It works as a rash checker for adults and children alike; the red-flag list below says when not to wait for any identifier, and that includes a baby rash with fever.

Skin scanner and skin condition identifier

“Skin scanner” and “AI skin analysis” apps promise a whole-body read; what they actually do is look at one patch at a time, and so does this. Use it as a skin condition identifier for anything visible: acne and rosacea patterns, dry or scaly areas, dark patches, bumps, blisters, fungal infections, sun damage and the common skin diseases that look alike at first glance. The report names what it sees in plain words and in the medical term, so you can look things up or repeat them to a clinician.

Mole checker and skin cancer check

For moles and spots the AI screens against the ABCDE warning signs — asymmetry, border, colour, diameter over 6 mm, evolution — and tells you clearly when a mole should be seen in person. It cannot rule melanoma in or out; nothing that works from a photo can. A mole that is new, changing, bleeding or unlike all your others needs a dermatologist, often with a dermatoscope and sometimes a biopsy, whatever any app says.

Identify a rash by picture, without an app

Most rash-identifier and “AI dermatologist” apps live in an app store: you download them, create an account, and many move to a paid plan after a short trial. That trade is fine for people who want a tracking history. It is a poor fit for the far more common situation — one worrying spot, tonight, that you want a sensible read on without handing over your identity. This page is the other option: a browser tab, no install, no account, nothing kept, and the same medical AI that handles symptom checks and blood test results for the rest of the consultation.

When to skip the photo and be seen today

Some presentations should not wait for any AI, including this one:

• A rash with fever and a stiff neck, confusion or severe headache
• Purple or dark red spots that do not fade when pressed with a glass
• Rapid spreading over hours, or skin that is hot, swollen and very painful
• Blistering or peeling over a large area, or involving the mouth, eyes or genitals
• Swelling of the lips, tongue or face, or any trouble breathing
• A rash in a baby under three months old, especially with fever
• A mole that is changing, bleeding, or looks different from all your others

The AI flags these itself when it sees them, but if you already recognise one from this list, go now and use the chat afterwards for questions.