{"slug": "show-hn-i-m-a-dermatologist-and-i-vibe-coded-a-3d-biophysical-skin-model", "title": "Show HN: I'm a dermatologist and I vibe coded a 3D biophysical skin model", "summary": "A dermatologist built SkinLab, a browser-based biophysical model of human skin, using Claude Code over five days, according to a Show HN post. SkinLab simulates 1.2 million voxels at 0.25 mm resolution across epidermis, dermis and fat, using a spring lattice with a J-shaped collagen fibre law and coupled ODEs for TGF-beta, myofibroblasts, collagen and contraction, and runs as one static HTML file with WebGL and three.js and no backend. The developer states the model's constants come from published papers and it reproduces biophysical behaviour such as incisions opening more across skin tension lines, but it is not validated against patient outcomes and is intended for research and teaching.", "body_md": "I'm a dermatologist. A year ago I posted a skin cancer quiz I vibe coded with Gemini 2.5 Pro. A top comment said that was the limit of vibe coding.\n\nThis year I tried something more ambitious: SkinLab, a biophysical model of human skin that runs in the browser using WebGL. You can cut it or wound it and it heals realistically to form a scar. Then you can treat the scar with laser and watch the healing process.\n\n- 1.2 million voxels (0.25 mm resolution) for epidermis, dermis and fat. - Spring lattice with a J-shaped collagen fibre law and tension along the skin's lines - Healing as coupled ODEs (TGF-beta, myofibroblasts, collagen, contraction) - One static HTML file, WebGL, three.js, no backend\n\nBy accurate I mean the constants come from published papers and it reproduces biophysical behaviour, such as incisions opening more when made more across the skin's tension lines and offloading preventing raised scars. It is not validated against patient outcomes, so it's for research and teaching, and a small step towards my lab's long term goal of an accurate cellular-resolution model of human skin.\n\nBuilt with Claude Code over five days. I guided the anatomy and biology through many rounds of feedback and iteration but I believe that in the future agentic models will be able to iteratively build and improve integrative models based upon analysis of published literature.\n\nThe tour (top right) takes a minute and runs in real time in your browser. Feedback welcome.\n\nComments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49881201](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49881201)\n\nPoints: 1\n\n# Comments: 0", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-m-a-dermatologist-and-i-vibe-coded-a-3d-biophysical-skin-model", "canonical_source": "https://www.drmagnuslynch.com/skin", "published_at": "2026-09-28 17:12:55+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-28 17:21:29.792820+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-tools", "ai-agents"], "entities": ["SkinLab", "Claude Code", "Gemini 2.5 Pro", "three.js", "WebGL"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-m-a-dermatologist-and-i-vibe-coded-a-3d-biophysical-skin-model", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-m-a-dermatologist-and-i-vibe-coded-a-3d-biophysical-skin-model.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-m-a-dermatologist-and-i-vibe-coded-a-3d-biophysical-skin-model.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-i-m-a-dermatologist-and-i-vibe-coded-a-3d-biophysical-skin-model.jsonld"}}