Development and Clinical Validation of a Novel Photography-based Skin Erythema Evaluation System: A Comparison with the Calculated Consensus of Dermatologists

Abstract

Erythema is the most common presenting sign of skin conditions [1,2]. Erythema reflects the degree of inflammation associated with various diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and lupus erythematosus; it is also cosmetically troublesome in subjects with flushing, rosacea, and photoaging [3,4]. In addition, there are vascular disorders that present with erythema, such as nevus flammeus, telangiectasia, and post-acne erythema [5]. Various therapeutic devices, medicines, and cosmetics have been developed to improve these dermatological conditions [6,7]. These modalities need to be validated objectively for dermatologists, patients, and regulatory agencies [8–10]. Various studies are in progress on both improvement of skin conditions and their objective measurement [11,12]. The evaluation of skin condition is highly dependent on dermatologists' judgments based on naked eyes, and the results can vary depending on the dermatologists' expertise and bias [13,14]. It is convenient to perform an evaluation using photographs, but this approach is affected by variation in the environment, such as uneven brightness and light type [15].

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