David Futoran came to dermatology with the perspective of a patient. His own experience with acne treatment helped him see how easily care could become a cycle of brief appointments, trial and error, and gaps in follow-up. He joined with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Joel Spitz to build Honeydew, a digital practice focused on conditions that do not end when a video visit closes.
A recurring condition needs recurring care
The founders concentrated on chronic and medically complex skin care, including acne and isotretinoin treatment. That choice makes the operational challenge harder than selling a one-time consultation. Patients may need laboratory work, ongoing monitoring, medication adjustments and repeated contact with licensed providers. Honeydew's product is therefore the care pathway as much as the appointment itself.
Making the invisible work part of the platform
Honeydew allows patients to book virtual appointments, complete required lab work and receive prescribed medication at home where available and clinically appropriate. Its public materials emphasize provider access and continuing support rather than a guaranteed result. The company says insurance is not required, which simplifies entry for some patients but also means pricing and expectations must be unusually clear before treatment begins.
Behind that experience is an operating stack most patients never see. A Columbia Business School case on Honeydew describes a proprietary electronic health-record system and a supply chain built to support the company's niche. Those systems matter because telehealth convenience can disappear quickly if test results, pharmacy coordination or follow-up messages live in disconnected places.
The trust problem in digital skin care
Honeydew says more than 30,000 patients have used the service. Scale alone does not settle the central question for a digital clinic: whether a prospective patient believes the care is medically serious, personally responsive and appropriate for a condition visible to the world. The company puts its clinical leadership and provider biographies forward to answer that concern, while explaining treatments in detailed educational content.
That makes Honeydew a particularly digital business. Discovery, education, intake, care and retention all happen through online channels, yet every claim sits near the boundary between marketing and medicine. The companies that endure in this category will not be those that promise the clearest skin fastest. They will be the ones that make a regulated, multi-step treatment journey feel understandable and human without overselling what medicine can guarantee.
