How Stratum Clinic's free written skin assessment actually works
I know the words "free written skin assessment" can make you roll your eyes. They usually mean a thinly veiled sales pitch at the end of a forty-minute phone call. Ours doesn't work like that — and I wanted to walk you through exactly what happens when you click that button, so there are no surprises.
It starts with a short written form
The whole thing is a form. No video calls, no rushed appointments, no awkward small talk. It takes about two minutes and asks you the questions I'd ask if you were sitting in front of me: what your skin is actually doing, what you've already tried (be honest — I've seen it all), and any medical history I need to know about. Photos help me see what's going on, but they aren't essential. Good lighting and a bare face beat a filtered selfie every time.
I personally review every submission
This is the bit I want you to hear clearly. Once you hit submit, the form comes to me — Mark Taylor, Independent Nurse Prescriber — and I read it properly. Not a chatbot, not a junior triage team. Me. I'm looking at the full picture: your skin type, your concerns, the products already in your routine, and whether anything is quietly making things worse.
If over-the-counter is the right answer, that's what you'll get
A huge number of the concerns I see — dullness, early ageing, congestion, mild pigmentation, sensitivity — can be handled beautifully with a properly built cosmeceutical routine. If that's you, I'll map out a Medik8 or Obagi regimen tailored to your skin and tell you exactly where to buy it. I don't need to upsell you a prescription you don't need, and I'd rather you spent your money on the right cleanser than the wrong serum.
When you need something stronger
Some concerns genuinely need advanced-protocol actives — stubborn melasma, persistent acne, advanced photoageing. If that's clinically appropriate for you, I'll issue a private prescription. Dispensing is handled by **HealthXChange**, a GPhC-registered UK pharmacy, which ships your medication directly to you — Stratum prescribes and reviews; the pharmacy dispenses. Nurse-Prescriber-led skincare, reviewed remotely, without the GP referral or the three-week wait for a high-street aesthetic clinic to squeeze you in. Same clinician, same standards, just a model built around your life rather than mine.
You'll hear back in 24 to 48 hours
That's the promise. You submit the form, I review it, and within a working day or two you'll have a written plan in your inbox. No appointments to reschedule, no hard sell, no drip-feed of "book a follow-up" emails. If I think the honest answer is to simplify what you're already using and let your barrier recover for six weeks, I will tell you that — and I won't charge you for the privilege.
Why I work this way
I trained as a Registered Mental Health Nurse before I trained as a prescriber, and that order matters to me. Skin is rarely just skin. People come to me frustrated, self-conscious, and often a bit embarrassed about how much they've already spent trying to fix it themselves. A written format lowers the stakes. You can take your time, be honest, and read the plan back in your own space without feeling put on the spot.
I'd rather earn your trust once and keep it for ten years than sell you something shiny today. That's genuinely how this works.