In their seminal report into primary care research and development, Mant observed that there was: > ‘… a serious mismatch between the financial and clinical importance to the NHS of decisions made in primary care and the available evidence and research capacity in this sector.’1 Primary care research is much stronger than it was when this report was published in 1997, but it is still the case that while the majority of care takes place in primary care, clinicians often have to make decisions in an evidence void. Where research exists, it has commonly been conducted in patients who are not typical of the primary care population. For example, skin problems,2 disorders of the digestive system,3 and allergy-related4 problems are commonly seen in primary care, but a recent review of UK primary care research activity highlighted a paucity of studies conducted in primary care.5 The case for more primary care based dermatology research is particularly pressing. Skin conditions are the most common reason for people to consult their GP with a new problem.2 According to a recent report on health care needs for skin conditions, almost one-quarter (24%) of the population in England and Wales (12.9 million people) visited …