Frequently Asked Questions

Skinvest is an AI-powered skin triage tool. You upload a photo of a skin concern and Skinvest provides AI-driven insights to help you decide whether to seek a dermatologist's evaluation. Skinvest is licensed by SAHPRA as a Class B Software as a Medical Device. It is a triage and awareness tool — not a diagnostic platform.

No. Skinvest is a triage and awareness tool. Its outputs do not constitute a medical diagnosis. Always consult a qualified dermatologist for diagnosis or treatment.

No. Skinvest covers a broad set of skin presentations, not just skin cancer. It is a general skin triage tool. Skin cancer awareness is part of the educational content, but Skinvest does not claim to detect or rule out cancer.

Yes. Skinvest is licensed by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) as a Class B Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). The free web demo is offered under the same operator and is presented as a constrained, awareness-focused subset of the full product.

Accuracy depends on image quality, the condition shown, and whether it is within the model's training scope. The free web demo uses a constrained model that will always return its closest match — even on out-of-scope images. Use Skinvest as an indicative triage starting point, not as a clinical verdict. See the Methodology page for full detail.

The confidence figure reflects how closely your image matched the model's nearest trained example. It is not a clinical probability of disease. A high confidence does not mean a high likelihood of any specific medical condition being present.

Skinvest is committed to working across the full Fitzpatrick I–VI spectrum. Public dermatology datasets are known to over-represent lighter skin tones, so this remains an active area of validation and improvement, with input from our clinical advisory group of practising dermatologists — including advisors with particular expertise in skin conditions across diverse skin tones.

Your image is processed for triage analysis and may be retained to improve the service for up to 24 months, then deleted or fully de-identified. You can request deletion at any time. Full details — including your POPIA / GDPR rights — are in the Privacy Policy.

Always see a dermatologist for any lesion that is changing, bleeding, painful, persistently itchy, or matches the ABCDE warning criteria (Asymmetry, Border, Colour, Diameter, Evolving) — regardless of any Skinvest output. Skinvest is a triage aid, not a substitute for clinical evaluation.

Skinvest was founded by Roscoe Kerby (computer scientist, computer vision specialist; roscoekerby.com) and Sienna Klipp (background in dermal aesthetics). The platform is medically advised by an active clinical advisory group of practising dermatologists.

Email support@skinvest.ai. We aim to respond to all enquiries — including privacy and data-rights requests — within 30 days.