Forget Expensive Dermatology Appointments, It’s So Easy To Get Help With This New Skin Service At Boots

From rosacea to acne, anyone who has lived with a persistent skin condition will know all too well the challenges that come with getting help to treat it. In the first instance, securing an appointment with your GP can be hard enough, let alone an NHS referral to see a dermatologist, and opting for a private consultation comes with a hefty price tag. Trust me—as someone who has been dealing with acne since I was a teenager, I really do get how frustrating it can be. Which is why I was so excited to learn that Boots has launched a new initiative designed to make professional skin health support more accessible.

Not only my favourite high-street beauty destination (I actually worked at Boots as my first Saturday job as a teenager), but Boots is an established high street pharmacy with a whole team of experts in each of their stores. So it makes perfect sense to further harness the skills of these experts by introducing dermatology training on common skin conditions, which will allow pharmacists and pharmacy team members in over 150 stores to offer advice on conditions like acne, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, dermatitis and more.

“It’s a really convenient option for accessing healthcare advice for skin. Unlike arranging a GP appointment, customers can simply walk into a participating Boots pharmacy and ask to speak to a pharmacist, with no appointment necessary,” says Boots pharmacist Deborah Nwachukwu. In fact, Nwachukwu points out that one in four new GP consultations in England and Wales are for patients seeking advice for a skin condition. In other words, this new service from Boots is not only a benefit for consumers who don’t want to wait weeks for an appointment, but it also may help to alleviate some of the pressure on GP surgeries.

And rest assured that Boots has gone to great lengths to ensure their pharmacists are well equipped to help. They undergo comprehensive dermatology training developed in partnership with L’Oréal Groupe and leading consultant dermatologist, Dr Justine Hextall, which has also been approved by the British Association of Dermatologists. “Pharmacists are already highly-trained healthcare professionals, and this training allows them to get a deeper understanding of the skin,” says Dr Hextall. “We know that the number of people suffering from common skin conditions is rising and, for those affected, it can have a huge impact…the training will give pharmacists the ability to advise on and treat these.”

Beyond the expert advice, as someone who has been prescribed everything from topical lotions to antibiotics in an effort to treat my acne, I was keen to know how the Boots dermatology service would measure up in terms of providing actual treatment for skin concerns. “If appropriate, pharmacists can recommend suitable treatment for some skin conditions, which may include off-the-shelf medicine or a pharmacy medicine,” explains Nwachukwu. “Some pharmacists are also independent prescribers and may be able to prescribe a prescription-only medicine for specific skin conditions.” And, medication aside, Nwachukwu points out that one of the benefits of this in-store service is that the Boots pharmacy team will also be able to offer suggestions about things like products, ingredients, or tweaks to customers' skincare routines that may help to improve their skin health.

But what if you’re not near one of the 150 Boots locations that have currently rolled out this new dermatology service? Well, last month, Boots also launched their AI-powered Boots Online Doctor SmartSkin Checker, which the Boots team have already told me is seeing encouraging engagement. “There is a clear need for accessible support for skin concerns and conditions, which is why we are so proud to be launching new technology,” says Jamie Kerruish, Healthcare Director at Boots.

The innovative SmartSkin Checker tool can screen for over 70 skin conditions and all you need to do is upload a photo of your skin. The tool will then analyse it before returning up to five possible skin conditions. My results indicated that I might have a couple of different types of acne, including the more severe nodulocyctica to comedonla acne and scarring. It acts as a great starting point if you then want to do your own research, or you can pay £25 to have a doctor provide a clinical review of your results.

However, it’s important to point out that there are skin concerns that people should go straight to their GP to seek advice for. “If you have a persistent or worsening skin condition that doesn't respond to over-the-counter treatment, it's a good idea to seek an appropriate clinical assessment,” says Nwachukwu. “You should also see your GP if you have a new growth or change in an existing mole that is getting bigger, has changed colour or texture, or is painful, itchy, bleeding, crusting, or scabbing for more than four weeks.”

While I’d love us all to live in a world where our skin health was taken more seriously and professional help was easy to access, fast and free, I am impressed that Boots has taken the initiative to improve both their in-store and digital advice in an attempt to democratise our access to skincare advice. Although the service only launched in May, the Boots team has shared with me that while they are still analysing the data, early insights suggest that acne, eczema and rosacea are some of the most common skin conditions in the UK, and they are conditions that the Boots pharmacy team will easily be able to offer help, advice and treatment for. It’s undoubtedly a much-needed innovation and one that I’m sure other beauty retailers and health providers will be looking to emulate in the coming years as the pressure on our health services continues to grow.

And if you can't make it to store, then the Boots DermaCare line offers a range of over-the-counter products for some of the most common skincare concerns...