My NextDerma: A Dermatology Telemedicine Solution
My NextDerma, a Mexican startup founded by entrepreneurs Armando Soltero, Luis Alberto Guevara, Alejandro Ibarra and Carlos Martínez, is a telemedicine platform that allows users to have one-on-one conversations with dermatologists.
The app service has supported over 7,000 patients in Mexico, explains the company’s CEO Armando Soltero. “My NextDerma is a company that focuses on providing a remote service for dermatological consultations through its app. The company comes from my own experience: when I was in college I suffered from severe acne that made me feel very insecure and made me avoid having any type of personal relationships,” said Soltero to Forbes Mexico.
The company aims to help people take care of their skin and find solutions for conditions ranging from acne to alopecia. The app currently has seven professionals collaborating with it, but Soltero hopes that by the end of 2021 it will have over 40. “The goal is to knit, little by little, the foundation to become the largest dermatological clinic; this is a goal we have had from the very beginning and we wish to keep pursuing it,” Soltero told Forbes Mexico.
The Benefits of Telemedicine
One of Soltero’s main concerns is that those who need a dermatologist do not have access to them as the patient might live too far away from the specialist. This problem is not exclusive to dermatology as those living in rural areas sometimes have trouble finding medical specialists. Telemedicine offers many alternatives so patients can reach a specialist no matter where they live, said Daniel Silberman, CEO and Co-Founder of Mediconecta, to MBN. Telemedicine also brings other benefits such as reducing transportation times and empowering patients. “Regardless of the market, the patient has to feel that their health is being taken care of in the best way possible. Patients want to be treated by the best doctors and in the best and fastest way possible,” said Fernando Lledo, Director General at Bupa Mexico, in an interview with MBN.
Technology allows real-time access to information and reduces barriers for both patients and doctors. “Having access to a medical consultation quickly can even mean more people taking care of their health because of the adaptable and comfortable option telemedicine offers,” said Silberman.