Isotretinoin therapy is a highly effective treatment. However, because of the risks and side effects, it is considered a therapy of last resort and can only be prescribed by experienced doctors who monitor you during treatment. The first step is a consultation with the prescribing doctor. There are a range of acne treatments and medications, so your doctor will assess if advanced medication is the most suitable treatment for you. Suitability will be determined through your condition, your medical history and any previous treatments (whether they were prescribed, or obtained over the counter) that you’ve had for acne, as well as the final outcome you wish to achieve. If accepted under care, the next step will be a baseline blood test and (for women who could become pregnant) a pregnancy test. Once reviewed and verified, your prescription will be issued. Your prescription will then be filled by our UK registered pharmacy partner and dispatched direct to your home address. Your prescribing doctor will ensure you attend regular check-ups (on-line) and arrange further blood tests and pregnancy tests as they are required. Once you’ve achieved your cumulative target dose, you will be discharged from care.

We have developed our service to reach the highest of standards, meeting with expectations of our patients, which we are proud to boast also surpasses the service that is provided by the NHS. The cumulative dose that is usually provided by the NHS is 100mg/kg of body weight at most, compared to 120mg/kg of body weight, which is provided by TreatDirect. Our dosage is prescribed according to internationally accepted dosage advice and has produced effective, long term results for many patients. We can only conclude that the low dosage provided by the NHS is due to budgeting reasons and can impact on the duration of benefit from treatment.

Other private dermatology clinics lack the robust processes and procedures TreatDirect has developed based on decades of experience specialising in Isotretinoin therapy. Patients who have had treatment at other private clinics tell us that their experience has been haphazard and disorganised. They often have to chase the clinic for appointments, blood tests and to generally progress their treatment.

At TreatDirect, we aim to be extremely responsive and move the process along as quickly as possible. After all, haven’t you waited long enough already? However, how quickly you start your medication depends in a large part on you. Before your medication can be delivered, we need to consult you, review blood test results and review pregnancy test result (if applicable). Consultations are usually available within a few days. The more flexible and available you can be, the quicker we can get you in. If you’re able to attend our lab partner in central London, we can get your blood test results quicker. The lab can usually be booked for the day after your consultation (weekdays), and results are usually available in a few hours. If no pregnancy test is necessary, and your blood test results are approved by the doctor, we can issue and dispatch your medication the same day. If you need to have pregnancy tests, your postal kit is dispatched within 1 working day of your initial payment. Kits usually arrive the next day, and you can then email the result to us. If you aren’t able to attend in central London for a blood test, we will send you a postal kit. This will take a day or two to arrive, and then you must do the test on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. So, depending on when you confirm you want to proceed, the blood test can take several days to process if being done by postal kit. Many patients are on their medication within one week, but much of it depends on you.

Absolutely! Advances in technology have enabled us to take advantage of combining the use of video-link with hi-res photos, medical history forms, lab tests and verbal interviews to fully and accurately assess each patient. This results in our expert doctors being able to  determine whether the patient is suitable for Isotretinoin therapy.

TreatDirect prides itself on its 100% doctor-led service. We ensure that all your consultations and check-ups are undertaken by the same doctor (a factor that cannot always be assured on the NHS and some private clinics – who may often delegate check-ups to one of your consultant’s ‘team’.

Yes! We have many patients who transfer in from the NHS and other private dermatology clinics to continue their Isotretinoin therapy with us and we can give you credit for the treatment you’ve already had. To quote you a price, please email us:

1. How much medication have you been prescribed so far in total (very important to be accurate!).
2. Your current body weight.
3. When your current medication run out.
4. How many previous blood test results you are able to obtain and provide to us.

If it is an option for you, we recommend you attend the lab for two reasons. First, it will be faster because the lab can receive patients Monday through Friday. You can usually attend the day after you confirm you want to proceed, so blood test results are often available within 24 hours of your consultation. Second, there is a small (about 15%) risk that your postal kit blood test result will be invalid. This could be because the patient has difficulty obtaining the finger prick sample, or does not correctly mix the sample with the anticoagulant, or the sample is delayed in the post. If the sample is invalid, the patient will need to repeat the test and it will count towards one of the three tests included in your package.

Yes! You’re most welcome to attend our lab in central London. If that’s not convenient for you, we have a contract with a network of other labs that have 29 locations across the UK or we may be able to arrange local private phlebotomy (a medical professional using a needle to take blood from your vein). A small additional charge may apply for using alternative labs or private phlebotomy.