Got a worrisome pustule on your crotch that’s probably an ingrown hair but could theoretically be something more serious? Well, there’s now an app called First Derm that’ll allow you to text a doc a pic of your, ahem, situation. Finally, you can stop pestering your friends in the medical profession about your oozing sores!
According to TechCrunch, the app first launched in Sweden in 2009 explicitly for STD testing, but has since broadened its mission to include any and all skin funkiness. That angry boil? Yup. That rash under your boobs? Sure. This sounds like a great way to settle campfire arguments re: whether that was poison ivy or poison oak.
Nevertheless, founder Alexander Borve told TechCrunch that around 70 percent of pics they receive are still genitals or genital-adjacent. Because let’s face it, most of us’ll let a little skin weirdness slide… until it encroaches upon a body part we really value.
You take two pics (one close, one distant) and describe your symptoms. First Derm promises to respond within 24 hours. The whole deal sets you back $40, which ain’t cheap, but it’s probably worthwhile if you’re a hypochondriac with a busy schedule. The company says most conditions call for nothing more than over-the-counter medicine, but they tell around 30 percent to call their doctor.
Just don’t look at their “skin guide,” a glossary of potential ailments, because you will definitely convince yourself that your epidermis is rotting off.