From the Guidelines
For AI dermatology apps, natural indirect sunlight is generally more accurate than indoor lighting. When using an AI dermatology app to photograph skin conditions, position yourself near a window during daylight hours where bright but indirect sunlight can illuminate your skin without harsh shadows or glare. Direct sunlight should be avoided as it can create excessive brightness, shadows, and alter the appearance of skin lesions. Indoor artificial lighting is less ideal because it often has color casts (yellow from incandescent bulbs or blue from fluorescents) that can distort the true color of skin conditions, which is a critical diagnostic feature, as highlighted by the need for comprehensive criteria in AI development and performance evaluation standards 1. If you must use indoor lighting, try to use multiple light sources to minimize shadows and ensure the area is well-lit. The reason natural light works best is that it provides more balanced, full-spectrum illumination that allows the AI to better analyze color, texture, and other visual characteristics of skin conditions. Some key factors to consider when using AI dermatology apps include:
- Positioning near a window for natural indirect sunlight
- Avoiding direct sunlight and harsh shadows
- Minimizing color casts from indoor artificial lighting
- Using multiple light sources if indoor lighting is necessary
- Following the specific guidance provided by your particular AI dermatology app, as some may have specialized lighting recommendations, in line with the best practices outlined for image-based AI development and assessment in dermatology 1.
From the Research
Lighting Conditions for AI Derm App
- The provided studies do not directly compare the accuracy of AI derm apps in direct sunlight versus indoor lighting conditions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, the studies discuss the importance of image quality and standardization in AI-powered dermatology applications, which may be affected by lighting conditions 4.
- Dermoscopy, a technique used in some AI derm apps, has been shown to be more accurate than naked eye examination for diagnosing melanoma, but the effect of lighting conditions on its accuracy is not explicitly stated 5, 6.
- The studies suggest that AI derm apps may be more accurate when used in clinical settings with controlled lighting conditions, but more research is needed to determine the optimal lighting conditions for these apps 2, 3, 4.
- The use of dermoscopy and AI-powered image analysis may be able to compensate for variations in lighting conditions, but further studies are required to confirm this 5, 6.