Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Dermatology
Date Submitted: Dec 31, 2025
Date Accepted: Jun 17, 2026
Comments Under Dermatologists’ TikTok Videos on Atopic Dermatitis: A Content Analysis of Audience Interaction
ABSTRACT
Background:
TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world. It has become an important space for sharing information on a wide range of topics, including medical conditions like atopic dermatitis (AD). Advice on skin conditions has become popular on TikTok, and most previous research in this area focuses on the credibility of the information being shared. However, little research has focused specifically on physician created videos and their audience engagement and interaction.
Objective:
Our study aims to 1) characterize the audience’s online response to board-certified physicians’ TikTok content related to AD according to established protocols, and 2) better understand the interactions that happen amongst members of the audience in the comment section under this content.
Methods:
In December 2023, searches were conducted for the terms, “atopic dermatitis” and “eczema” on three unique TikTok accounts to identify videos created about AD by board-certified dermatologists. Twenty-eight final videos were analyzed and categorized into the following categories: 1) Explanation of Disease, 2) Recommendation, 3) Debunking Misinformation, and 4) Informal/Anecdotal. The top 50 original comments on each of the 28 videos were collected and categorized into one of the following: 1) Positive Personal Experience, 2) Negative Personal Experience, 3) Neutral Personal Experience, 4) Requesting Advice, 5) Learning, 6) Appreciative Reaction, 7) Critical Reaction, 8) Giving Advice, 9) Humor, 10) Tagging Another User, and 11) Off-Topic. Replies to comments were also analyzed and grouped into similar categories.
Results:
Video category did not have a significant impact on engagement rate. Across all video categories, comments that involved personal experiences or sharing information made up a larger percentage than those that were critical or off-topic comments (P<.001). Of the comments relating to personal experience, the percentage of negative personal experience comments were significantly higher than positive personal experience comments (P=.001). Amongst replies to comments, recommendation and emotional support replies were significantly more common than other types of replies (P<.001).
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that videos created by dermatologists on TikTok are generally well-received regardless of video style or category. The comment sections appear to function as virtual support groups where users connect over shared challenges and exchange personal experiences and recommendations. There is a gap in dermatologist-produced TikTok content involving skin of color.
Citation
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