MedTech, skincare and Google?

Google can now do more than answer your questions about skincare online. It can tell you what’s going on with your skin by looking at your pictures. The company has developed an artificial-intelligence-powered tool that scans pictures of the person’s skin taken from different angles.

The user then has to fill out a questionnaire. The AI model will analyse the information and come to a conclusion based on its existing knowledge of 288 skin conditions.

The questions will be related to skin type, how long they’ve had the issue and other symptoms that help the tool narrow down the possibilities. Google has also said that the model accounts for factors like age, sex, race and skin types. 

The technology is yet to be approved by the FDA, according to Google’s blog post. Medtech in skincare and cosmetics is a growing field that is securing funding across different avenues.

Google has been expanding in med-tech and AI healthcare.  Just last year, when the pandemic broke out, Google joined hands with Apple to develop technology to help people get notified if they had been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The technology is called Exposure Notification. Google has also announced it will create AI models for organ segmentation.

IIn 2019, Google said that it had created technology to pick out cancer symptoms that regular CT scans and radiologists missed. They showed examples of a report where their AI-powered software picked out cancer symptoms even when the CT scan showed normal results.

Medtech and skincare

In 2020, a report titled, ‘MedTech Revolutionary Innovations in Cosmetic & Aesthetic Procedures Changing Industry Dynamics’ was released. It gave details on how med-tech and skin care is a combination that is here to stay. These innovations are turning out to be popular because of ‘lower procedure time, minimal discomfort, and shorter recovery period for the patients.’

And it’s not all cosmetic. Med-tech in skincare is being used for wound healing and treating other serious skin conditions which affect people’s mental health. This Israel-based company, for instance, has perfected the technology to help patients with tissue regeneration to help with wound healing. The technology is used in battery-operated devices.