There’s a new buzzword

in beauty, and

(as always) it says a lot about where we are right now. Teledermatology, which already has its own hashtag, is the practice of dermatology from a distance, using video call and digital photography to diagnose skin conditions and suggest the best treatment. Okay, it’s not entirely box-fresh, having been used in medical dermatology and e-health for at least the past 10 years, but its entry into the skincare glossary speaks to a few pertinent things: if it needs doing, it can probably be done online, we really, really care about our faces and expertise is worth it.

Welcome to the world of digital skin, where you can have facials by Zoom, chat to a skincare concierge on Whatsapp, and have personalised skincare delivered to your door. London aesthetician and Black skin health specialist Dija Ayodele opened her first clinic, West Room Aesthetics, six weeks before the first 2020 lockdown. ‘We always planned to offer digital services but had to step on the gas within a matter of days,’ she says. Ayodele started offering online consultations and 15-minute ‘discovery calls’ alongside webinars, Zoom brunches and Instagram Lives. One of the best things about going digital, she says, is speaking to clients worldwide. ‘We’re now globally connected, especially with women who live in areas where professionals may not be as well versed in Black skin.’ Is anything missing? In her heart of hearts, Ayodele believes that nothing beats a consultation where she can touch the skin, use diagnostic tools such as UV lamps, and read a client’s

‘PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE CAN HELP YOU GET RESULTS’

body language (skincare is part therapy, she maintains). ‘But the information I can elicit online still makes for a worthwhile consultation, and the process is efficient. Even with the vaccine, I don’t see things going back to normal. Clinics and salons are very safe places, with high levels of hygiene that existed even before Covid-19. But we’ll take a cautious approach, offering virtual services alongside IRL appointments.’

If you’re missing a regular skin service, there’s a lot you can do at home, and the best way to make that leap is with professional guidance. You may even be helping to keep the beauty industry afloat, says The Telegraph’s beauty director Sonia Haria, who sits on the board of the British Beauty Council and has passionately advocated for struggling beauty professionals throughout the pandemic. ‘It’s been tough for businesses that rely on human touch, but if they have a robust online offering or the capacity to sell products, that’s a source of income in an otherwise extremely difficult financial landscape,’ she says. ‘The beauty industry is a massive contributor to the UK’S GDP and is hugely important to people’s overall sense of wellbeing. And that’s worth protecting now more than ever.’