An Analysis of Skin of Color Dermatology Related Content on Instagram

Taylor M Wells BS, Chandler W Rundle MD, Mindy D Szeto BS, Colby Presley , Robert P Dellavalle MD PhD MSPH

The population of the United States is becoming increasingly more diverse. The most recent US census showed that while non-Hispanic whites currently make up the majority of the population at 198 million, they remain the only segment of the US population in which deaths outpace the number of births. At the same time, other racial and ethnic groups are experiencing population growth.¹ In fact, it is projected that by 2050, over half the US population will be individuals of color.

The lack of dermatologists of color combined with the small percent of dermatologic education dedicated to patients with skin of color³ has created racial disparity in the delivery of care to patients of color. Gorbatenko-Roth et al has confirmed that patients of color are concerned that race-discordant dermatologists do not have specific knowledge of their skin and hair conditions and/ or routine skin and hair care regimens. Additionally, there is concern that these dermatologists do not offer individualized treatments for their disorders.²

Initiatives such as the Diversity Champion Initiative of the AAD’s Diversity Task Force, aimed at diversifying dermatology and increasing exposure to skin of color dermatology during training, have been implemented but these changes are systemic and slower to take effect.⁴

In the interim, patients are utilizing internet resources and social media to learn of dermatologic conditions and possible treatments. However, no studies about skin of color dermatology content available on different social media platforms have been done. Here, we sought to explore Instagram to identify skin of color-related dermatology content being posted, characterize the generators of this content, and compare the characteristics of content generated by board certified dermatologists with other Instagram users.