Teledermatology in Skin of Color

Although telemedicineTelemedicine has been used in dermatologyDermatology since the 1970s, its utility has increased dramatically since theCovid-19 COVID-19 pandemic. While it is assumed that teledermatologyTeledermatology increases access to healthcare, it may exacerbate health disparitiesDisparities in certain populations (Bakhtiar et al. in J Am Acad Dermatol 83(5):e345–e346, 2020 [1]). Some skin of colorSkin of color populations may face challenges when it comes to teledermatology (Sanchez et al. in J Drugs Dermatol 21(7):793–794, 2022 [2]). There is an increase in access to younger patients but there continues to be barriers in access in older patients, those with a lower education status, patients that lack computer internet access at home, or have limited smartphoneSmartphone proficiency which may greatly affect some SOC populations (Bakhtiar et al. in J Am Acad Dermatol 83(5):e345–e346, 2020 [1]).