An Analysis of Cosmetic Facial Injectable Treatment Content on TikTok

An Analysis of Male Plastic Surgery Content on TikTok

BACKGROUND

TikTok is a powerful and popular source of patient education. However, the lack of content regulation raises concerns about the spread of medical misinformation.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to analyze the source, content, quality, and reliability of TikTok posts focusing on surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic treatments for men.

METHODS

A search was conducted on TikTok with 16 popular hashtags related to male cosmetic procedures. The top 25 male-focused videos from each hashtag were chosen for analysis. Videos were categorized by content creator, video type, and descriptive metrics. Educational videos were evaluated for quality with the validated modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) score and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) scale. Statistical analysis was performed with univariate and linear regression models.

RESULTS

The included 399 videos totaled 389 million views, 16.4 million likes, 174,594 comments, and 586,743 shares. Most videos were uploaded by plastic and reconstructive surgeons (38.3%). A significant number (38%) of videos by physicians were posted by international physicians, with videos by United States physicians receiving fewer views, comments, and shares than videos posted by international physicians. Patient experience was the most common video category (48.9%). Educational videos had low overall quality, with physician-created videos demonstrating higher DISCERN and PEMAT scores but lower engagement compared to nonphysician videos.

CONCLUSIONS

The quality of TikTok videos on male cosmetic surgery was generally low, emphasizing the importance of accurate information dissemination by physicians on social media. The strong presence of international physicians highlights the potential implications of social media on medical tourism.

Prejuvenation: What Social Media Tells Us About the Rising Trend

BACKGROUND

"Prejuvenation," a practice gaining enormous popularity among younger adults, can largely attribute its explosive growth to TikTok, the platform on which many first encounter this trend. Despite the rising usage of prejuvenation, however, there is a lack of clarity regarding its clinical practice and efficacy.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the understandability, reliability, and actionability of prejuvenation-related TikTok content.

METHODS

TikTok was queried using 13 hashtags consisting of popular colloquial terms associated with prejuvenation treatments, and the top 25 videos meeting inclusion criteria for each hashtag were analyzed. For each video, poster credentials and video type were determined. Videos considered "educational" were analyzed using the validated modified DISCERN score and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool scales. Creator's prejuvenation recommendations were recorded. Univariate and linear regression models were utilized for analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 303 videos amassed over 61,000,000 million views, 3,957,091 likes, 24,455 comments, and 71,697 shares. Nonphysicians posted the most videos (n = 257, 84.8%) and had significantly higher median views, likes, comments, and engagement than physician videos. Analysis of "educational" videos showed that most videos (50, 67%) supported the use of prejuvenation treatments, 18 (24%) were neutral, and 6 (8%) were opposed.

CONCLUSIONS

Prejuvenation content on TikTok varies widely in terms of quality and recommendations, calling for more standardization regarding the practice. Physician-generated prejuvenation content was more reliable, but distinguishing it from nonphysician content was challenging, underscoring the need for platform-specific verification tools.

Quality of Spine Surgery Information on Social Media: A DISCERN Analysis of TikTok Videos

OBJECTIVE

The use of social media applications to disseminate information has substantially risen in recent decades. Spine and back pain-related hashtags have garnered several billion views on TikTok. As such, these videos, which share experiences, offer entertainment, and educate users about spinal surgery, have become increasingly influential. Herein, we assess the quality of spine surgery content TikTok from providers and patients.

METHODS

Fifty hashtags encompassing spine surgery ("#spinalfusion," "#scoliosissurgery," and "#spinaldecompression") were searched using TikTok's algorithm and included. Two independent reviewers rated the quality of each video via the DISCERN questionnaire. Video metadata (likes, shares, comments, views, length) were all collected; type of content creator (musculoskeletal, layperson) and content category (educational, patient experience, entertainment) were determined.

RESULTS

The overall DISCERN score was, on average, 24.4. #Spinalfusion videos demonstrated greater engagement, higher average likes (p = 0.02), and more comments (p < 0.001) compared to #spinaldecompression and #scoliosissurgery. #Spinaldecompression had the highest DISCERN score (p < 0.001), likely explained by the higher percentage of videos that were educational (p < 0.001) and created by musculoskeletal (MSK) professionals (p < 0.001). Compared to laypersons, MSK professionals had significantly higher quality videos (p < 0.001). Similarly, the educational category demonstrated higher quality videos (p < 0.001). Video interaction trended lower with MSK videos and educational videos had the lowest interaction of the content categories (likes: p = 0.023, comments: p = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

The quality of spine surgery videos on TikTok is low. As the influence of the new social media landscape governs how the average person consumes information, MSK providers should participate in disseminating high-quality content.