Social media use among adolescents with acne: A cross-sectional survey study

Cyrelle F Finan; Phoenix Leon; Lynn Midani; Deirdre A Hill; Aimee C Smidt

doi:10.1111/pde.15651

Social media use among adolescents with acne: A cross-sectional survey study

Pediatr Dermatol. 2024 May 9. doi: 10.1111/pde.15651. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Cyrelle F Finan^{1

2}, Phoenix Leon³, Lynn Midani³, Deirdre A Hill⁴, Aimee C Smidt^{2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pediatric Dermatology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
² Department of Dermatology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
³ School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Preventive Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

PMID: 38725265
DOI: 10.1111/pde.15651

Abstract

Social media is increasingly used by patients for the management of skin conditions like acne, despite the potential risk for low-quality information. This study surveyed 45 participants between the ages of 12 and 17 years to investigate factors that could be associated with social media use among adolescents with acne. The likelihood of social media use was not significantly increased by clinical severity of acne, more severe physical barriers (greater than or equal to 20 miles to the dermatology clinic), more severe temporal barriers (waiting 12 or more weeks for a first dermatology appointment), or worsened quality of life (assessed via the Skindex-Teen score). This study increases understanding of adolescents' social media behaviors, particularly as a way to seek information for skin conditions like acne.

Keywords: acne; health care delivery.

Abstract

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