Analysis of Reddit Reveals Clascoterone Questions Among People with Acne

OBJECTIVE: Patients with acne are increasingly using social media platforms such as Reddit to seek medical information. Skincare subreddits such as r/SkinCareAddiction, r/Skincare_Addiction, r/SkincareAddicts, and r/Acne have become important hubs of discussion for acne treatments, including the recently US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug clascoterone (Winlevi). The objective of this study was to analyze questions and information needs of Reddit users with acne related to clascoterone. METHODS: The authors analyzed all clascoterone-related questions posted on the r/SkinCareAddiction, r/Skincare_Addiction, r/SkincareAddicts, and r/Acne subreddits. Questions were categorized and subcategorized for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 301 questions from 223 posts were analyzed. The largest proportion of questions were about concurrent use with other medical interventions or skincare regimens (25.9%) and adverse effects (17.3%). General experiences (14.0%) and usage instructions (12.0%) also made up a significant number of questions. LIMITATIONS: A limitation of this study is that Reddit users may not accurately represent the general population of patients with acne using clascoterone. CONCLUSION: This Reddit analysis of clascoterone therapy reveals key themes in questions and gaps in knowledge among people with acne that may not be readily apparent in clinical settings. This information can guide physicians to better address patient needs and improve patient outcomes.