This Perspectives article explores how dermatology research can become distorted once shared on social media, using a recent UV–mortality study as an example. It highlights the consequences of this misinterpretation for public trust, sun safety behaviours and the dermatology community, and argues that researchers, institutions and clinicians must communicate proactively in digital spaces to preserve scientific accuracy. The piece includes public perspectives on how online dermatology content influences understanding and decision making.
Amy Perkins (Mon,) studied this question.