POLL: Do You Post Educational Content for Patients on TikTok?

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As more and more patients seek health care knowledge via social media, questions regarding the accuracy of posted content have been raised. Even with the imminent ban in the United States, TikTok has become a source of education for patients, especially in the world of dermatology. A recent study has tested the quality of information shared on this particular platform and found that the dermatological content shared by creators is of low quality overall.¹

Investigators screened the platform in November 2022 for keywords like “dermatology,” “skin care,” “aesthetician,” “dermatologist,” and “derm physician assistant.” Another study from 2022 found that the top hashtags were similar and included “#skincare,” “#dermatologist,” “#dermatology,” “#skincareroutine,” and “#acne.”²

Based on engagement through these searches, over 35 accounts and 17,085 of the app’s informational dermatology videos were analyzed using the DISCERN criteria to evaluate reliability and clarity. This included the app’s top 10 derm profiles and their corresponding top videos. Interestingly, 2.2% of these videos featured TikTok-verified paid sponsorships with dermatologists comprising 65% of these posts, which can raise concerns about conflicts of interest.

Over 50% of these profiles were run by dermatologists with 17.1% being aestheticians, 11.4% being medical clinics, and 5.7% being medical spas. Medical clinics and aestheticians had the highest average engagement scores of the groups (p < 0.001). Dermatologist-run accounts had significantly more views (p < 0.001) and comments (p = 0.04) with 25,942,000 views and 6895.86 comments versus the 4,969,502 views and 2984.22 comments of non-dermatologist-run profiles.

Furthermore, dermatologist-run accounts were more likely to refer to areas of uncertainty and describe specifically how each treatment works while non-dermatologist-run accounts were more likely to assess each treatment’s risks and provide potential alternatives. According to the study authors, “these differing emphases could shape consumer attitudes towards dermatological care, treatment choices, and even trust in professional advice versus influencer-driven content.”

However, all DISCERN scores were very low (34.18 vs 33.46, respectively), and there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups. This indicates that the dermatological content in all videos is of low accuracy and quality overall.

“Physicians should be aware of the expanding role of social media as a source of medical information and possible misinformation,” the authors concluded. “Dermatologists should consider if they have an obligation to produce unbiased, ethical, and accurate content.”

These studies demonstrate the rise of TikTok in the dermatology space, which can have beneficial and disadvantageous effects for clinicians and their patients. Future research can further analyze the influence of TikTok and other social media platforms and how it can positively or negatively impact dermatological care.

Let us know your thoughts, experiences, and interest in TikTok or other social platforms by answering our poll above, commenting on our social media, and writing to us at DTEditor@mmhgroup.com.

References

1. Nigro AR, Osman A, Saal RC, Smith RJ. Information Regarding Dermatology as Seen on the Social Media Platform TikTok. JMIR Dermatol. 2025;8:e59597. Published 2025 Jan 28. doi:10.2196/59597

2. Ranpariya VK, Fathy R, Chu B, Wang S, Lipoff JB. Patterns of Promotional Content by Dermatology Influencers on TikTok. JMIR Dermatol. 2022;5(1):e34935. Published 2022 Mar 30. doi:10.2196/34935