Unless you have a skin condition like acne, rosacea, or psoriasis, you may not have considered participating in a dermatology research study. But even if you have healthy skin, you could still be an essential part of a clinical trial!

How do scientists tell if a treatment is effective?

Of course, monitoring how it affects people with a given skin condition is one aspect, but observing a control group of healthy skin subjects helps them better understand the best treatment options too.

What is a healthy skin research study?

A healthy skin research study is a separate clinical trial for people with healthy skin who act as controls in the overall study. For example, when testing a new treatment for acne, a scientist would want to check one group of people with acne and one group of people without acne.

Are clinical trials safe?

Yes! In all of our dermatology research studies, you are under the care of board-certified dermatologists.

If you’re still on the fence about whether to participate or not, here’s a list of reasons why you should consider enrolling in a healthy skin study.

Why You Should Consider Enrolling In A Health Skin Study

 

1. You’ll play a vital role in advancing medical research.

Clinical trials are an important part of bringing the latest scientific research to the patients who need it. Clinical trials allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine if a treatment is successful, and FDA approval helps get that treatment widely available to the public.

“The process of identifying drugs, devices, or treatments that should be developed, funding and conducting the development, and putting the therapy in the hands of clinical investigators is the essence of translational research,” explained Dr. Henry N. Spotnitz, George H. Humphreys II Professor of Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. Without clinical trials, there would be no new medical treatments, and without study participants, there would be no clinical trials.

2. You’ll reap the benefits of helping other people.

As anyone who has ever donated blood, given money to a cause, or helped out a neighbor in need knows, doing a good deed makes you feel good too. According to a 2013 study by BMC Public Health, volunteering had favorable effects on depression, life satisfaction, and well-being.

According to Psychology Today, “there is now neural evidence from fMRI studies suggesting a link between generosity and happiness in the brain.” Being generous makes the person who is receiving your generosity feel better, and the effects warm the helper’s mood as well.

DermResearch conducts a wide variety of clinical studies to test potential treatments for conditions such as acne, rosacea, and psoriasis. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, these conditions affect more than 73 million Americans annually, which means participating in a research study helps move research forward to find treatments that could improve the lives of millions of people who may be struggling with skin conditions.

3. You could even make money!

We appreciate the fact that study participants take time out of their busy lives to help us find treatments, and it’s important for us to recognize you for your time. When you help us move medicine forward, you could earn some cash for time and travel in return.

We also offer bonuses for participants who refer others to future research studies. If you know someone who might be interested in participating in a healthy skin study (or any of our clinical research trials), you could receive a $250 referral bonus!

With over 20 years of experience serving the Austin, Texas community, DermResearch is a leading dermatology research center specializing in paid clinical trials helping to find treatments for a variety of skin conditions, including healthy skin research studies. If you’re interested in participating in an upcoming research study but have questions, please contact our office so a member of our team can provide more information.

Sources: UNC School of Medicine, Alliance for Aging Research, Columbia Surgery, American Academy of Dermatology Association, BMC Public Health, Psychology Today