3D Total Body Photography Helpful for Diagnosing Skin Disease
Patients mostly expressed positive views on this technology, while privacy and shame were identified as barriers to its use
By Dermsquared Editorial Team | June 12, 2025
WEDNESDAY, June 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Use of three-dimensional total body photography (3D TBP) can diagnose general skin diseases with high accuracy, according to a study published online June 4 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Sebastian Sitaru, M.D., from the Technical University of Munich School of Medicine and Health in Germany, and colleagues examined the value of 3D TBP in general dermatology and examined patient acceptance in an observer agreement study of the diagnoses of 294 patients presenting with skin changes obtained in face-to-face visits versus diagnoses obtained by retrospective analysis of 3D scans with no face-to-face patient visits. Questionnaires were used to evaluate patients' views on 3D TBP.
The researchers found that across a broad range of diagnoses in a diverse patient group, primary diagnoses obtained by two senior dermatologists independently reviewing 3D TBP scans matched in 68.4 and 81.1 percent of cases, respectively. Positive views on this technology were mostly expressed by patients, while privacy and shame were identified as barriers.
"Especially when considering the looming shortage of high-quality dermatological care, 3D TBP therefore has potential to make more efficient use of health care resources, e.g., by enabling underserved regions easier tele-access to dermatologists in better served areas through better standardization of telemedicine," the authors write.