Attachable ring lights used to take better selfies can also help doctors take better clinical photos of skin lesions, suggests guidance published in JAMA Dermatology.

The guidance from US dermatologists and a photographer says a royal blue background can improve photos of darker skin, while separate studies have suggested white or grey can work too.

The University of Southern California–led team adds that ring lights that clip onto smartphones are a cheap non-clinical tool to improve lighting.

“To improve the visualisation of lesion height and texture, studies have suggested positioning the ring light to the side of the lens,” they say.