Skin Chem shows promise in using environmental data to give people a snapshot of the risks on any given day, said Dr. Divya Seth, a dermatologist at the UCSF Center for Dermatologic Surgery and Laser Procedures. During his medical training, he studied how the environment affects our skin, and while doing this work, he researched similar tools. Nothing came close to Skin Chem, he said.
"Although there are a number of tools that look at other types of environmental exposures, they are not combined in a way that directly determines how they affect the skin," Seth said. "I think what makes this app unique is that it integrates environmental data."
When asked about possible improvements to the app, Seth said that while he thinks the app is a great first step, he would like the technology to give people practical advice. Now users are assigned a risk score and asked to take precautions, but the app doesn't require people to wear sunscreen or a hat. "When we think about how ultraviolet rays can cause skin cancer or how PMI can cause different inflammatory skin diseases, I think the next steps can be very important," he said.
Although Project Butcher originally began with an interest in skincare, its commitment to skin health has only grown as the climate crisis intensifies. A report from the American Meteorological Society shows that climate change has caused unprecedented heat waves, floods and droughts in recent years.
Sweeping heat made headlines this summer in places like Phoenix, where record temperatures exceeded 110 degrees for more than a month. Hot weather swept across California, with temperatures reaching triple digits in parts of the Bay Area and Central Valley.