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FacialStack

AI skin analysis from a photo: what it can and can’t tell you

A selfie can show a lot about the surface of your skin, and nothing about what’s underneath. Here’s how to get a useful read, and what to check before you upload your face anywhere.

What a photo can show

From clear photos, an AI model can describe what’s visible on the surface: spots, blackhead-like dots, small bumps, shine, dryness or flaking, dark marks left after spots, redness and shadowing under the eyes. It can also say where on the face they are and roughly how much of each there is. That’s enough to suggest sensible routine steps, like a gentle cleanser, an exfoliating acid for clogged pores, or daily sunscreen for dark marks.

What it can’t tell you

  • It can’t diagnose. A photo can’t tell acne from rosacea, a rash from an allergy, or a harmless spot from one that needs a doctor. Anything painful, spreading, scarring or changing needs a GP or dermatologist.
  • Look-alikes stay look-alikes. Blackheads and sebaceous filaments (normal oil in pores) can look the same in a photo. An honest analysis says when it isn’t sure.
  • Light changes the result. Flash and bright light exaggerate shine; dim light hides marks and texture; filters and beauty modes smooth everything away.
  • It can’t feel your skin. Tightness, stinging and itching don’t show up in a picture, so it helps if you can tell the app what bothers you.

Photos it can read

  1. Face a window in daylight. No flash, no overhead light directly above you.
  2. Turn off beauty mode and filters, and take off makeup and glasses.
  3. Pull your hair back so your forehead and jawline show.
  4. Take three: front, left side and right side. One front-on photo hides your cheeks and jaw.
  5. Check that each photo is sharp before you send it.

Questions to ask before uploading

A face photo is personal. Before using any skin app, look for clear answers to these:

  • Who can see the photos, and are they ever posted or used in ads?
  • Which AI service processes them, and is it allowed to store them or train on them?
  • Can you delete your photos yourself, and your account?
  • Is there a real privacy policy with a contact who answers?

For FacialStack: photos are kept in private storage only your account can open, never posted or used for ads, and you can delete them any time in Settings. To make your report, the three photos are sent over an encrypted connection to our AI provider (OpenRouter, which routes to Google’s Gemini model) with a setting that only allows providers that don’t store or train on what they’re sent. We don’t train AI models on your photos. The details are in our Privacy Policy.

Why we don’t give a score

Many skin apps rate your face out of 100. We think that’s the wrong question: a number doesn’t tell you what to do, and it changes with the lighting. A FacialStack report lists what’s visible, how much, and how clear it was in the photo, then turns that into a routine where every step says what it’s for.

Try FacialStack

Three photos, about two minutes. The report is free with a free sign-in, for adults 18+, and no payment card is needed. Pro is optional and paid: it adds the exact products for each step and the routine in the app. It’s cosmetic guidance from what’s visible, not a diagnosis. See an example report before you start.

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