Skin Disease Detection using EfficientNetB0

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY

Computer Science and Engineering

SUBMITTED BY

RIYA (223025054)
KUNAL TYAGI (223025039)
SUMIT SINGH KUSHWAHA
(223025067)

Under the supervision of

SUNIL SINGH

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF SMART COMPUTING

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COER UNIVERSITY, ROORKEE,
UTTARAKHAND

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Contents
1 Abstract 3

2 Introduction 4

3 Problem Statement 5

4 Objectives 6

5 Scope of Work 7

6 Methodology 8

7 Expected Outcomes 9

8 References 10

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1 Abstract
Skin diseases are a prevalent health issue often requiring timely and accurate diagnosis. Traditional meth-
ods involving visual inspection by dermatologists can be time-consuming and subjective. This research
proposes an automated skin disease detection system using advanced image processing and machine learn-
ing techniques, leveraging state-of-the-art algorithms to analyze skin images, extract relevant features, and
classify them into various disease categories. The system uses convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to
detect a wide range of skin diseases with high accuracy and robustness in detecting a wide range of skin
diseases.
Key features of the proposed system include:

• Image Preprocessing: Enhancing image quality and removing feature extraction.

• Feature extraction: Employing techniques like color histograms, texture descriptors, and deep
learning-based feature extraction to capture essential information from skin images.

• Machine learning models: Utilizing deep learning architectures, such as CNNs, tolearn complex
patterns and classify skin diseases accurately.

• Model evaluation: Rigorously evaluating the system’s performance using standard metrics like
accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score.

The research aims to contribute to improving the diagnosis and management of skin diseases by providing
a reliable and efficient automated tool. By making skin disease detection more accessible and accurate,
this system has the potential to enhance healthcare outcomes and reduce the burden of skin diseases on
individuals and healthcare systems.

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2 Introduction
The human body is made up of several organs. Skin is one of them. It is the largest organ covering the
entire human body. Any disorder that affects human skin is called skin disease. Skin disease is one of the
most contagious diseases in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 2794
persons in Bangladesh died from skin cancer in 2018. WHO also said that more than 14 million cases were
diagnosed, and 9.6 million deaths occurred globally in 2018. It is the change of color or texture of the
skin. The causes of skin diseases are viruses, bacteria, allergy, or fungal infections. The genetic factor also
causes skin disorders. Generally, skin disease occurs in the thin outer layer of the skin, called epidermis
can be visualized by human eyes that cause psychological depression and lead to physical injuries.
There are different types of skin lesions: Actinic keratosis (AK), Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), Benign
keratosis (BKL), Dermatofibroma (DF), Melanoma (MEL), Melanocytic nevus (NV), Squamous cell carci-
noma (SCC), and Vascular lesion (VASC), are shown in Fig. 1. The lesions are different in terms of their
symptoms and severity. Some are permanent, and some are temporary and may be painless or painful.
Among these skin diseases, melanoma is the most deadly and dangerous type. However, about 95 percent
of skin disease patients can be recovered if identified at an initial state. An automatic computer-aided
system can be beneficial to classify skin diseases accurately.
There is a massive gap between dermatologists and skin disease patients as many people do not know the
types, symptoms, and stages of skin disease. Sometimes it requires a long time to show the signs. For
this, it requires early and quick detection. But it may be difficult and expensive to diagnose skin diseases
correctly to identify the type and stage of the disease. The automatic computer-aided system based on
machine learning approaches has made it possible to detect the types of skin disease more accurately and
quickly.

Figure 1:

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3 Problem Statement
Skin diseases are a common health concern affecting millions of people worldwide. Accurate and timely
diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and prevention. Traditional methods involving visual inspection
by dermatologists can be time-consuming, subjective, and may not be accessible in remote areas. To ad-
dress these challenges, automated skin disease detection using image processing and machine learning has
emerged as a promising approach.
There is a growing need for an automated system that can assist in the early detection and classification
of skin diseases using non-invasive methods. Machine learning (ML) offers the potential to build such a
system, leveraging large datasets of skin images to train models that can accurately classify various skin
conditions. By detecting diseases early and accurately, such a system can help reduce the burden on
healthcare systems, assist general practitioners, and improve patient care, especially in areas with limited
access to specialized medical professionals.
Key Challanges:
Dataset Availability: A large and diverse dataset of labeled skin images is required to train a robust
model. The dataset should include images of various skin conditions across different skin tones, age groups,
and genders.
Class Imbalance: Certain skin diseases may be more prevalent in the dataset than others, leading to
class imbalance, which can affect the model’s performance on less frequent diseases.
Visual Similarity of Conditions: Many skin diseases have visually similar symptoms, making it chal-
lenging for the model to differentiate between certain conditions.
Ethical considerations: The use of AI in healthcare raises ethical concerns related to privacy, data
security, and bias. Ensuring the fairness and transparency of the system is essential.
Generalization: The system should be able to generalize well to new, unseen data, ensuring that it
performs effectively outside of the training dataset.
Expected Outcome: The outcome of this project will be a machine learning model capable of classifying
various skin diseases from images with high accuracy. This system will aid in early diagnosis, allowing for
timely treatment and improved healthcare outcomes.

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4 Objectives
The primary objective of a skin disease detection project is to develop a system that can accurately and
efficiently diagnose various skin conditions using image processing and machine learning techniques.
Specific objectives might include:
Accurate Disease Classification: Developing a model capable of accurately classifying skin diseases
from images with high precision, recall, and F1-score.
Real-time Analysis: Ensuring the system can process images in real-time or near real-time to provide
immediate feedback to users.
Robustness: Making the system robust to variations in image quality, lighting conditions, and skin tones.
User-Friendliness: Designing an intuitive interface that is easy for both healthcare professionals and
patients to use.
Scalability: Ensuring the system can handle large volumes of data and scale to accommodate future
growth.
Integration: Exploring opportunities to integrate the system with existing healthcare infrastructure, such
as electronic health records (EHRs).
Ethical Considerations: Addressing ethical concerns related to data privacy, bias in machine learning
models, and the potential impact on healthcare access.

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5 Scope of Work
The scope of work for the project focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a
machine learning-based system for detecting and classifying skin diseases from images. The project will
involve several stages, each contributing to the overall objective of creating an accurate and accessible
diagnostic tool.
Project Objectives:
• Develop a robust and accurate skin disease detection system: The system should be capable of
accurately identifying various skin diseases based on input images.
• Utilize advanced machine learning techniques: The system should employ state-of-the-art
algorithms and techniques, such as deep learning, to achieve high performance.
• Ensure user-friendliness and accessibility: The system should be designed to be easily usable
by healthcare professionals and patients.
• Address ethical considerations:The system should adhere to relevant ethical guidelines and ensure
data privacy and security.
System Components:

• Image acquisition module: This module will handle the collection and preprocessing of skin
disease images.
• Feature extraction module: This module will extract relevant features from the images, such as
color, texture, and shape characteristics.
• Classification module: This module will employ machine learning algorithms to classify the ex-
tracted features into different skin disease categories.
• User interface: This component will provide a user-friendly interface for interacting with the
system, including image input, result visualization, and information retrieval.

Technical Approach:

• Dataset collection and curation: Gather a diverse and representative dataset of skin disease
images, ensuring proper labeling and annotation.
• Image preprocessing: Apply necessary preprocessing techniques, such as image resizing, normal-
ization, and augmentation, to enhance image quality and consistency.
• Feature extraction: Explore various feature extraction methods, including handcrafted features
(e.g., color histograms, texture descriptors) and deep learning-based features (e.g., convolutional
neural networks).
• Model development and training: Train machine learning models (e.g., support vector machines,
random forests, deep neural networks) on the preprocessed dataset to learn patterns and
discriminate between different skin diseases.
• Model evaluation and refinement: Evaluate the performance of the trained models using appro-
priate metrics (e.g., accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score) and refine the models as needed.
• User interface design: Develop an intuitive and user-friendly interface for interacting with the
system, allowing users to input images, view results, and access additional information.

Potential Challenges and Limitations:

• Data scarcity and imbalance: Limited availability of high-quality skin disease images and class
imbalance can pose challenges in training and evaluating the system.
• Image variability: Skin lesions can exhibit significant variations in appearance, making it difficult
to develop a robust and generalizable model.
• Ethical considerations: Ensuring data privacy, security, and fairness is crucial, especially when
dealing with sensitive medical information.
• Clinical validation: Obtaining clinical validation from dermatologists is essential to ensure the
system’s reliability and effectiveness in real-world settings

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6 Methodology
1. Dataset Collection and Preprocessing:

– Gather a diverse dataset: Collect a large number of skin images representing various skin
diseases and healthy skin conditions. Ensure the dataset is balanced to avoid bias.
– Image preprocessing:
∗ Resize and normalize: Standardize image dimensions and pixel values to ensure consis-
tency.
∗ Augmentation: Apply techniques like rotation, flipping, and cropping to increase dataset
size and improve model generalization.
∗ Noise reduction: Remove noise from images to enhance feature extraction.

2. Feature Extraction:

– Traditional features: Extract features like color histograms, texture descriptors (e.g., Gabor
filters, Local Binary Patterns), and shape information.
– Deep learning features: Utilize deep learning models, such as convolutional neural networks
(CNNs), to automatically learn discriminative features from the images. CNNs can capture
complex patterns and hierarchies in the image data.

3. Model Selection and Training:

– Choose a suitable model: Select a deep learning architecture (e.g., EficientNetB0, ResNet,
VGG, Inception) or a combination of traditional features and machine learning algorithms (e.g.,
SVM, Random Forest).
– Train the model:
∗ Split the dataset: Divide the dataset into training, validation, and testing sets.
∗ Optimize hyperparameters: Experiment with different hyperparameters (e.g., learning
rate, batch size, number of epochs) to find the best configuration.
∗ Train the model: Use the training set to train the model, adjusting its weights based on
the learning algorithm.

4. Model Evaluation:

– Evaluate performance: Use the validation set to assess the model’s performance using metrics
like accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and confusion matrix.
– Fine-tuning: If necessary, adjust hyperparameters or modify the model architecture to improve
performance.

5. Testing and Deployment:

– Test on unseen data: Evaluate the model’s performance on the testing set to assess its
generalization ability.
– Deployment: Integrate the trained model into a web application or mobile app for real-time
skin disease detection.

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7 Expected Outcomes
Technical Outcomes:

– Development of a robust and accurate skin disease detection system: The system
should be able to accurately identify various skin diseases based on input images.
– Utilization of advanced machine learning techniques: The system should employ state- of-the-
art algorithms and techniques, such as deep learning, to achieve high performance.
– User-friendly and accessible interface: The system should be designed to be easily usable
by healthcare professionals and patients.
– Scalability and efficiency: The system should be able to handle a large volume of images
efficiently and be scalable to accommodate future growth.

Clinical Outcomes:

– Improved diagnostic accuracy: The system should assist healthcare professionals in making
more accurate and consistent diagnoses of skin diseases.
– Reduced diagnostic time: The system should streamline the diagnostic process, leading to
faster and more efficient patient care.
– Early detection of skin cancers: The system could potentially aid in the early detection of
skin cancers, improving treatment outcomes.
– Enhanced patient care: By providing timely and accurate diagnoses, the system can con-
tribute to improved patient outcomes and overall quality of care.

Societal and Economic Outcomes:

– Increased accessibility to healthcare: The system could help to improve access to skin
disease care, especially in underserved areas.
– Reduced healthcare costs: By improving diagnostic efficiency and accuracy, the system could
potentially reduce healthcare costs associated with skin disease management.
– Improved public health: The system could contribute to public health efforts by promoting
early detection and prevention of skin diseases.

Ethical Considerations:

– Data privacy and security: The system should adhere to strict data privacy and security
standards to protect patient information.
– Bias mitigation: The system should be designed to minimize bias and ensure fair and equitable
treatment of all patients.
– Transparency and accountability: The system should be transparent in its operations and
accountable to relevant stakeholders.

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8 References
General Skin Disease Detection:

– Leung, T.M., et al. (2016). A deep learning approach to skin cancer classification.
IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 35(2), 570-579.
– Esteva, A., et al. (2017). A Dermatologist-Level Classification of Skin Cancer with
Deep Neural Networks. Nature, 542(7639), 115-118.

Specific Skin Diseases:

– Yu, L., et al. (2019). Automated detection of melanoma using deep learning.
Journal of Medical Imaging and Health Informatics, 9(1), 181-188.
– Huang, C.-H., et al. (2018). A deep learning-based approach for psoriasis detection.
IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 22(3), 632-640.

Image Processing and Feature Extraction:

– Zhang, H., et al. (2018). A hybrid feature extraction method for skin lesion
classification. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 22(2), 362-370.
– Wang, X., et al. (2017). A novel feature extraction method for skin lesion classifi-
cation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 64(1), 167-175

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