In the Netherlands the Melanoma Foundation has created a smartphone app named 'Huidmonitor' (Skin monitor, in Dutch) to easily check suspicious moles and spots on one's skin.  

Of all types of cancers, skin cancer is growing the fastest. One in six Dutch persons is affected by it at some point in their lives. Commenting on the launch of the new app, Marcel Bekkenk, a dermatologist, said: "Regular skin checks are important, in particular for young people as in 25 % of cases patients are younger than 50 years old." He called Huidmonitor "a handy tool" for staying aware of changes on one's skin. "If one finds out a suspicious stain, they must always go to the doctor,' he added. 

Huidmonitor is free of charge and available in Dutch; it can be downloaded from http://huidmonitor.nl/. Its two most important features are: 

• Check: the users can take a picture of their stain and run a quick check to compare it with a collection of photo examples. All pictures provided as examples include information (e.g. this is a harmless mole, this is a melanoma, or something else) and questions are associated, such as 'Where can you see this?' In this way, users get to learn where the dangers lie.
• Follow-up: By taking regular pictures of their moles and knowing their location on their body, the app users are able to become aware of any changes and receive important warning signals. The app can be used to follow-up the moles of several people, including one's partner and children. In case of an important warning, the users know they must make an appointment with a doctor.

Further information: 

• Original news article - KiesBeter.nl (in Dutch)