Influence of Social Media and Internet on Treatment Decisions in Adult Female Acne Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Introduction: Adult female acne is a chronic condition that significantly impacts quality of life. The content on social media can influence patients perception of their disease and serve as a channel through which they may seek or obtain treatment options. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the impact of social media usage habits on treatment decisions among adult female acne patients. Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter survey study involved 358 females aged 25 or above, diagnosed with acne. Sociodemographic data were collected, and social media behavior, treatment choices, outcomes, and motivation were explored. Results: Among 358 participants, 95.3% used at least 1 social media platform; 72.1% sought acne information online. Top platforms used to seek acne information were Google (75.6%), Instagram (72.3%), YouTube (60%), and TikTok (29.4%). For advice, 67.4% consulted doctor accounts, 53.5% non-medical influencers, 53.5% patient accounts, and 36.1% product promotion accounts. Commonly followed advice included skincare products (88%), dietary changes (42.3%), home remedies (38.8%), exercise (30.3%), topical medications (25.2%), and dietary supplements (17.4%). Notably, 20.9% were willing to alter prescribed treatment by their physician for acne based on social media advice. Pa- tient motivations included quick information access (84.1%) and difficulty in securing dermatologist appointments (54.3%). Conclusions: The study reveals widespread social media use among adult female acne patients, high- lighting concerns about potentially misleading information. Dermatologists can enhance the impact of social media by providing reliable sources for patients.