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Dermatology on Snapchat
Ravi R Patel, N Kuseh Kalani Yazd, Robert P Dellavalle1
1Department of Dermatology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, Dermatology Service, Eastern Colorado Health Care System, US Department of Veteran Affairs, Denver, Colorado. robert.dellavalle@ucdenver.edu.
Abstract:
Launched in 2011, Snapchat is one of the newest social media platforms with over 158 million active daily users. This study investigated the presence of dermatology-related content on Snapchat. We searched for Snapchat accounts for the top ten most popular dermatology journals, professional dermatological organizations, and dermatology-related patient advocate groups on social media. None of the above-mentioned entities were found on Snapchat. Plastic surgeons were found to primarily utilize the application, although one prominent dermatologist was also found. It was theorized that the brevity of the "snaps" was a contributing factor for dermatological organizations to not use the application. However, Snapchat in the right practice setting may be useful for dermatologists, not only to educate followers, but also as a marketing tool to Millennials.
