TL;DR: Key Takeaways
- For photographable concerns, virtual matches in-person 80–90% of the time
- Virtual: $19.99–$85 per case; in-person private: $150–$400
- Virtual turnaround: hours; clinic wait: weeks
- In-person still required for biopsy, dermoscopy, and palpation
- Best pattern: free AI screen → anonymous virtual review → in-person if flagged
What is a "free AI prediction"?
A single AI screening result on a photo you upload, delivered in your browser without an app install or an account. Free predictions are a triage tool — not a medical diagnosis — and are governed by our Terms of Service.
Choose virtual if…
- • Concern is visible and photographable
- • You want a written opinion in hours, not weeks
- • You want anonymity or a lower price
- • You're deciding whether escalation is even needed
Choose in-person if…
- • The lesion may need biopsy or excision
- • You want full-body mole mapping or dermoscopy
- • Symptoms include bleeding, ulceration, or rapid change
- • Systemic symptoms (fever, spreading infection) are present
Accuracy: what the studies actually show
Reviews of store-and-forward teledermatology (photo review) consistently report 80–90% diagnostic concordance with in-person exams for photographable conditions. Concordance drops for pigmented lesions that need dermoscopy — which is why a good online dermatologist refers those to in-person care instead of guessing.
Cost, side by side
- Anonymous virtual (ScanSkinAI): $19.99 / 48h, $39.99 / 8h
- Other virtual services: $30–$85 per case; $75+ if prescription included
- Private in-person (US/UK): $150–$400 per consult
- Public system (NHS, Medicare Australia): free but multi-week wait
Speed
Virtual dermatology's biggest edge is time-to-answer. Anonymous 48-hour reviews are the norm; 8-hour express is available. In-person specialist waits are 2–12 weeks in most public and private systems.
What virtual dermatology can't do
- Biopsy or excision
- Physical dermoscopy of pigmented lesions
- Palpation of lymph nodes and lesion depth
- In-office procedures (cryotherapy, curettage)
A good virtual dermatologist will explicitly tell you when in-person is required — not guess through a photo.
Try an anonymous virtual dermatologist review
Photo + email, no app, no account. From $19.99, delivered in 8–48 hours.
The pattern most people actually want
Free AI screen first, human review if it flags a concern, in-person only if the human review escalates. That's the fastest, cheapest, most private path — see the full flow on our online dermatologist hub.