IN news that will surprise almost nobody, it seems that people are promoting botanical acne treatments on social media that have no evidence behind them while downplaying safety risks.
In appealing to young people with an interest in "natural" remedies versus conventional therapies, the promotion of medicinal plants on platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram has raised concerns about misinformation and unsupported claims.
So a team from Iran's Shiraz University investigated herbal acne treatments recommended on virtual platforms and weighed up the evidence.
Some treatments had relatively robust evidence, particularly tea tree oil, green tea extract and basil oil.
Others including chamomile, thyme, eucalyptus, and coriander demonstrated antibacterial or anti-inflammatory activity in vitro but hadn't been tested in patients with acne.
Meanwhile, adverse effects were often underemphasised, including irritation and allergic contact dermatitis found with essential oils such as tea tree, lavender, cinnamon and turmeric.
Rare systemic or endocrine effects associated with topical lavender and tea tree oil exposure were also underreported.
"Individuals should be encouraged to critically evaluate treatment claims shared on social media and avoid trusting unverified cyberspace content," the authors concluded.
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