Usually fine online
- Asking how urgently a spot should be seen, as a step toward an in-person appointment.
- Sharing photos of a spot a dermatologist has already examined, to track it over time.
Go in person instead
- Asymmetry, an irregular Border, uneven Color, a Diameter larger than a pencil eraser (about 6 mm), or Evolving size, shape or color: book an in-person exam.
- A spot that bleeds, itches, crusts or doesn't heal.
- A full-body skin check, and any biopsy, which only an in-person visit can do.
What an online visit involves
- If you use online care for triage, send a close-up with a ruler or coin beside the spot, and a wider photo that shows where it is on your body.
- Say when you first noticed it and how it has changed.
Photo tips: Photograph a mole every month the same way, so you and your dermatologist can see change. More in how to take good photos.
Nolla Derm
Moles and skin cancer concerns are outside what Nolla Derm treats: see a board-certified dermatologist in person.
Where to go
Start with a board-certified dermatologist in person. Photo services can help you decide how urgently to book, not rule a problem out.
- Your own dermatologist's telehealth: live video or photo visits run by a local dermatology practice or health system.
- DermatologistOnCall: store-and-forward (message-based) visits with board-certified dermatologists.
- First Derm: anonymous store-and-forward opinions from board-certified dermatologists.
Judge any of them with the six-point checklist. The AAD recommends every platform offer an in-person option when you need one.[6]
Sources
Every numbered claim on this page points here. Providers' own pages were read in November 2026; prices and terms change, so check them again before you pay.
- What to look for: ABCDEs of melanoma · American Academy of Dermatology
- How to perform a skin self-exam · American Academy of Dermatology
- Skin cancer types: Melanoma · American Academy of Dermatology
- Teledermatology for diagnosing skin cancer in adults (Cochrane review, 2018) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
- Find a Dermatologist · American Academy of Dermatology
- AAD Teledermatology Standards · American Academy of Dermatology