Teledermatology and Virtual Visits for Acne Management: A Review

Acne vulgaris is a common dermatological condition requiring individualized management. Teledermatology provides convenience and accessibility that is highly suitable for this dermatological condition. Herein, our review aimed to describe the current state of teledermatology in the context of acne management and to assess patient satisfaction, adherence to virtual care, and the experiences of health care providers in delivering remote dermatological services. A systematic search for articles was conducted in Medline, Embase, and PubMed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Title, abstract, full-text screening, and data abstraction were carried out in duplicate. One thousand one hundred three nonduplicate articles were screened based on title and abstract review. A total of 21 studies were included in the review. It was found that teledermatology is well-suited to the effective management of acne vulgaris. When compared to in-person care, teledermatology resulted in similar outcomes on several acne-grading scales. Additionally, patient satisfaction was comparable, with a large proportion of patients preferring virtual care to traditional in-person visits. However, compliance was found to be lower for virtual care. There are several secondary benefits to telemedicine, including time savings and greater accessibility to care for rural patients. Teledermatology is an evolving, promising medium for acne management for both clinicians and patients. Future research comparing the effectiveness of different teledermatology platforms, its limitations and pitfalls, and integration of patient and physician preferences to improve treatment outcomes is warranted.