Last updated: September 25, 2023
This is my honest review of two online dermatologists, SkyMD and DermatologistOnCall, plus a few others I found mentioned on reddit.
I signed up and paid for these two consults with SkyMD and DermatologistOnCall.
Both had advertised that they would reply to me within 24 hours. This was appealing because I could do it from the comfort of my own home, and quickly.
In this article, I’ll review what I liked about each, other services I want to test, and which was my favorite.
About Me & Why I Wrote This
My name is Nick Gray. Here I am on Instagram. I have seborrheic dermatitis. I wanted to talk to a doctor recently during a flare-up. I signed up for a few online dermatologist services online because I wanted a fast solution. I didn’t trust other online review blogs, so now I’m writing my own. I am not sponsored and I paid the full price for all of my visits.
Online Dermatologists
Dermatologists provide a range of care to help us maintain healthy skin.
I should probably wash my face more, and do my annual mole check.
Anyhow. Our skin needs a lot of care! It is the body’s largest and most exposed organ.
Here’s what I found from online dermatology offerings in May 2022.
Review of SkyMD
This is one of the more popular services, and the first one I tried.
It turned out to be my favorite.
The cost of SkyMD is $79, paid via credit card, with no insurance.
- They respond fast.
- Their website is very intuitive and easy to navigate.
- You submit photos only of your skin condition.
- The doctor reviews the photos then makes a recommendation.
- They fill your prescription order to whatever pharmacy you want.
Pro tip: If you struggle with more severe acne, this reddit post highly recommends SkyMD because you get to discuss in detail your goals and treatment options.
About SkyMD
I got this info from their website:
Since 2018, SkyMD has been the steadily growing national telemedicine component of the Compass Biosciences medical group, owned by dermatologist and dermatopathologist, Dr. Antoanella Calame.
Review of DermatologistOnCall
This was the next service I signed up for. The price was $95 and it offered the same general idea as SkyMD: upload my photos, along with a description of my symptoms, to get reviewed by a doctor.
The DermatologistOnCall doctor took a bit longer to reply, as compared to SkyMD.
One major critique: The DermOnCall website asked for several detailed security questions to create my account, which was very frustrating.
Changing passwords was difficult, and I had to contact support a few times to get help. Their website was not very good.
But! Someone else had a different experience? This reddit post from a few years ago found their service to be easy and seamless. So perhaps your mileage may vary.
- You submit photos only of your skin condition.
- The doctor reviews the photos then makes a recommendation.
- They fill your prescription order to whatever pharmacy you want.
About DermatologistOnCall
From their website:
DermatologistOnCall is the premier nationwide-network of online dermatologists in the United States. Their board-certified providers treat over 3,000 conditions of the skin, hair, and nails through their portal. With no appointment needed, thanks to their store-and-forward platform, patients can start a visit whenever and wherever they need help.
Other Online Dermatologists
These are four other services that I’ve read about which I will test next.
Apostrophe
Most of the articles I found online highly recommended Apostrophe as a good provider of online skin care.
However, they focus on providing a “custom treatment” for your skin condition.
The cost for Apostrophe and to talk to a dermatologist there is $20 for the consultation, plus approximately $100 for their custom formula medication.
From their website:
Expert guidance, time-tested prescription topicals, and oral medicine for every phase of your acne journey are all available at Apostrophe.
Sesame
The Sesame service was also recommended by a bunch of other blog posts I found.
Their cost is $40 for your skin consultation, plus $79 for another dermatology consultation.
Their website says:
Regardless of location, income, or insurance status, patients may use Sesame’s dynamic marketplace to refill prescriptions, get online dermatological consultations, and much more.
Nurx
Nurx is well known and frequently mentioned on reddit. They provide one of the most affordable services.
Not necessarily helpful for me, but they happen to be one of the first large platforms to offer virtual birth control consultations and prescriptions.
The stated cost on their website is only $35, for the consultation fee, for a whole year. And I think they also accept insurance?
Curology
Finally, I heard a lot of people talk about Curology for online dermatology appointments and help.
Their website says that the cost is $39.90 for two months of product or support.
Their objective is to make prescription skin care products more inexpensive and accessible. Someone mentioned that, “Curology is a feasible solution for people with acne and aging skin issues.”
I have to read more about them! But I wanted to include it in my roundup. Let me know if you have used Curology and how it was.
Conclusion and My Recommendation
In my opinion, SkyMD is the best right now. I would recommend it to my friends.
Both of these services only review photos. There was no option to FaceTime with a dermatologist or do video conferencing for a live evaluation.
But the price was right, and the service was fast, so I do feel like I got some value.
The next time I have a flare-up with my skin, I am going to try Sesame, Apostrophe, Nurx, and Curology, in that order.
See the facial cleanser I use for my sensitive skin here.
Have you tried any of these? Good or bad experiences? Send me an email and I might include your comments in an article update.