Omission of Risk in Vitamin A–Related Dermatologic Instagram Posts: A Growing Concern in an Unregulated Digital Landscape
We reviewed 30 of the top-viewed Instagram videos using the hashtags #retinoid and #retinol to assess reliability using the DISCERN instrument. Dermatologists produced more accurate content than laypeople, though important details such as treatment risks were often omitted. Our findings highlight the need for health professionals to balance accessibility with accuracy to provide trustworthy dermatologic information on social media.
Authors
- Robin Ashinoff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1223-2672)
- Claudia Green (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4580-4611)
- Shannon Meledathu
- Michael Povelaitis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6821-1038)
- Mariela Mitre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5572-1097)
- Robert J. Vanaria
- Riya Khokhal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5800-3392)
Institutions
- Hackensack University Medical Center (US)
- Center for Discovery (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JMIR Dermatology
- Published
- 2025-08-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.2196/77504
- Primary Topic
- Social Media in Health Education
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00