Consumer Ratings of Over-the-Counter Online Scar Treatments

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Background Scars affect nearly 100 million people annually, with more individuals seeking over thecounter (OTC) products online. Silicone is currently recommended by the American Academy ofDermatology, while the efficacy of other popular ingredients lack strong evidence. This study utilizedAmazon to assess the most highly rated features of scar removal products described by online consumersin 2022 and 2024. Case Presentation Amazon.com was searched using “scar removal/treatment” in December 2022 andagain in September–December 2024. Products with >50 ratings were included, and duplicates wereexcluded. A total of 170 products were analyzed. Data on form, ingredient, dermatologistrecommendation, price, and ratings were collected. Individual rating distributions were estimated frompercentages and total ratings. Discussion We reviewed 170 products of which 112 were silicone and 12 were vitamin E products. 93were gels/creams and 53 were tape/adhesives. There were 440,087 individual customer ratings. Of theingredients, vitamin E products (p