An End-to-End Deep Learning Framework for Arsenicosis Diagnosis Using Mobile-Captured Skin Images

Background: Arsenicosis is a serious public health concern in South and Southeast Asia, primarily caused by long-term consumption of arsenic-contaminated water. Its early cutaneous manifestations are clinically significant but often underdiagnosed, particularly in rural areas with limited access to dermatologists. Automated, image-based diagnostic solutions can support early detection and timely interventions. Methods: In this study, we propose an end-to-end framework for arsenicosis diagnosis using mobile phone-captured skin images. A dataset comprising 20 classes and over 11000 images of arsenic-induced and other dermatological conditions was curated. Multiple deep learning architectures, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and Transformer-based models, were benchmarked for arsenicosis detection. Model interpretability was integrated via LIME and Grad-CAM, while deployment feasibility was demonstrated through a web-based diagnostic tool. Results: Transformer-based models significantly outperformed CNNs, with the Swin Transformer achieving the best results (86\\% accuracy). LIME and Grad-CAM visualizations confirmed that the models attended to lesion-relevant regions, increasing clinical transparency and aiding in error analysis. The framework also demonstrated strong performance on external validation samples, confirming its ability to generalize beyond the curated dataset. Conclusion: The proposed framework demonstrates the potential of deep learning for non-invasive, accessible, and explainable diagnosis of arsenicosis from mobile-acquired images. By enabling reliable image-based screening, it can serve as a practical diagnostic aid in rural and resource-limited communities, where access to dermatologists is scarce, thereby supporting early detection and timely intervention.

Toward Accessible Dermatology: Skin Lesion Classification Using Deep Learning Models on Mobile-Acquired Images

Skin diseases are among the most prevalent health concerns worldwide, yet conventional diagnostic methods are often costly, complex, and unavailable in low-resource settings. Automated classification using deep learning has emerged as a promising alternative, but existing studies are mostly limited to dermoscopic datasets and a narrow range of disease classes. In this work, we curate a large dataset of over 50 skin disease categories captured with mobile devices, making it more representative of real-world conditions. We evaluate multiple convolutional neural networks and Transformer-based architectures, demonstrating that Transformer models, particularly the Swin Transformer, achieve superior performance by effectively capturing global contextual features. To enhance interpretability, we incorporate Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM), which highlights clinically relevant regions and provides transparency in model predictions. Our results underscore the potential of Transformer-based approaches for mobile-acquired skin lesion classification, paving the way toward accessible AI-assisted dermatological screening and early diagnosis in resource-limited environments.