Calif.-based online start-up offers acne consultations, e-prescriptions

MONTEREY, Calif. — A new website for young people with acne allows them to receive online dermatology consultations and receive prescriptions.

YoDerm charges $59 for a three-step plan. Users upload photos of their affected areas and answer several medical questions, a process that typically takes less than 10 minutes. Within 48 hours, a dermatologist examines the photos and information and creates a personalized treatment plan. After that, a treatment plan is delivered and, if included, a prescription is sent electronically to the user's preferred local pharmacy.

The company's 24-year-old founders, Ben Holber and Ryan Hambley, experienced acne through high school, and one of them, Hambley, started the company in part because his father is a dermatologist.

"If I had to go into a doctor's office every time I had a question about the treatment or when I wanted to switch medications, it would have been virtually impossible to quell my acne," Hambley said. "Everyone deserves the on-demand treatment I received, and with the internet, it's now possible."

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, about 18 million American adolescents have acne severe enough to require a dermatologist consult, but fewer than 1 million get into the office.