ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
'Dr. Google, What Is That on My Skin?'-Internet Searches Related to Skin Problems: Google Trends Data from 2004 to 2019.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Shifting Perceptions of Cosmetic Procedures: Rise of Medical Spas in Online Search Trends.JMIR dermatology · 2026Article
- Climate, Humidity, and Population-Level Interest in Dry Skin: Infodemiology Analysis Using Google Trends Across the United States.JMIR dermatology · 2026Article
- Tracking Public Interest in Rare Diseases and Eosinophilic Disorders in Germany: Web Search Analysis.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Utilization of Internet and Social Media by Outpatient Dermatology Patients: A Prospective, Cross-sectional Study.The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology · 2025Article
- Social Media Use in Dermatology in Turkey: Challenges and Tips for Patient Health.JMIR dermatology · 2024Article
- Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Interest of Google Queries in Cancer Screening and Cancers: A Retrospective Study.Cancers · 2023Article
- Did the COVID-19 pandemic impact urticaria information-seeking behavior in China? A retrospective longitudinal study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Seasonal Patterns and Trends in Dermatoses in Poland.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Using Internet Search Queries to Assess Public Awareness of the Healthy Cities Approach: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Global Public Interest and Seasonal Variations in Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence From Google Trends.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Article
- Correlation Between Interest in COVID-19 Hair Loss and COVID-19 Surges: Analysis of Google Trends.JMIR dermatologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The Internet is a common source of health information as search engines propose websites that should answer users' queries. The study aimed to investigate the search behavior of Google users related to skin clinical signs as well as to analyze their geographical, secular, and seasonal patterns. The data of Google Trends was used to analyze the number of Google searches related to skin problems from January 2004 to December 2019. Thirty-four topics representing dermatologic complaints were identified. The interests of all topics were calculated in proportion to the Relative Search Volume (RSV) of 'Scar'. Geographical patterns as well as secular and seasonal trends were analyzed. Countries with few users who searched for skin problems were excluded from the analysis. Globally, gaining the most attention were 'Itch' proportion to RSV of 'Itch' (2.21), 'Hair loss' (1.56), 'Skin rash' (1.38), 'Perspiration' (1.32), and 'Scar' (1.00). In 42 of the 65 analyzed countries, 'Itch' was the most popular topic, followed by 'Hair loss' (
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.