For efficient detection or observation of a skin disease, especially skin cancer, methods for examining the skin of a subject and an associated device are specified. Accordingly a camera element is provided, by means of which an image of an area of skin is recorded. The image is fed to an image evaluation unit which uses electronic pattern recognition based on at least one prespecified selection rule to analyze the image for the occurrence of suspect skin marks with, on detection of a suspect skin mark, its location being determined and displayed.