A Tyne Valley man has praised a potentially life-saving app developed by consultants in the North East.

John Nott (73) from Prudhoe, was able to use the ‘MySkinSelfie’ app to send photos and have a skin condition assessed – before he was notified that he would need a procedure.

The ‘MySkinSelfie’ app has been developed by consultants at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary in partnership with Newcastle University and aims to help patients monitor and skin conditions, by to capturing, storing, and sharing images with GPs and consultants. One of the apps most popular uses is to asses patients for possible skin cancers without them having to attend a face-to-face appointment.

John, who was able to use the app with the help of his daughter, said: “The best thing was that I was able to sit in my own living room, get a photograph taken of the area and it was done. I didn’t have to go into Newcastle for someone to take a look at it.

“A couple of weeks after sharing the photos with the doctor, I was called to say that I would need a procedure. It was reassuring to get it looked at quickly, and that I would receive treatment faster than if I had waited for an appointment.

“People of my age, and If I didn’t have transport, would have had to walk half a mile to get a bus into Newcastle, and repeat on the same back for the problem to be looked at. It’s a brilliant idea.”

Dr Philip Hampton, dermatology consultant at Newcastle Hospitals and founder of MySkinSelfie, said: “We have been using My Skin Selfie successfully in our basal cell skin cancer clinic, to assess new or changing skin lesions and to book patients directly for surgery when needed.”

MySkinSelfie is available to download on the Google Play Store.