A new add-on for the iPhone has been launched today that allows users to detect skin cancer.

The new gadget plugs into the iPhone and makes it into a dermatoscope. It uses a polarising light which can check if a mole looks abnormal, if so it takes a photo and sends it to a doctor to check. The same picture can even by sent via the iPhone to world renowned doctors to get a second opinion.

A researcher based at Salford University, Doctor David Pye said “This is a powerful piece of kit which could be very useful for people in the profession assessing whether a mole is cancerous.”

The new tool is unlikely to be used by people looking for cancer at home but by doctors who need a second opinion.