People Turning to E-Commerce for Scar Treatment Products
Appearance is one of the biggest focus areas of people these days, which is why the demand for personal care and cosmetic products and skin treatments is growing around the world. One of the biggest degraders of appearance is scars, which can be caused by a number of diseases and physical injuries due to accidents, burns, chemical contact, violence, wounds, and surgeries. For instance, as per the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), 50 million people in the U.S. have acne.
Similarly, cases of burns around the world are rising because of lax safety measures and general human ignorance. Moreover, the inaccessibility to quality healthcare leads to more-long-term detrimental effects of such mishaps in developing countries, the most common of which are scars. Of the 180,000 deaths by burns every year, most occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), says the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, “Non-fatal burns are a leading cause of morbidity, including prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement and disability, often with resulting stigma and rejection.”, it says.
This clearly reflects a vast unmet demand for topical, laser, surface, injectable, and surgical scar treatment products, among which topicals remain the most popular. This is because topical products include oils, gels, creams, gel sheets, ointments, lotions, and foams, which are easily available over the counter (OTC) and on prescriptions at pharmacies and retail stores and are easy to apply by patients themselves. Additionally, these are some of the cheapest scar treatments available, which is a key reason behind their high popularity among the masses.
Even though the demand for all such products is quite high in LMICs, the scar treatment market is the largest in North America. This is because of the easier accessibility of the products, higher awareness about scars and their treatment, and better financial status of the population, which results in higher product sales. Moreover, the incidence of acne and other dermatological diseases is surging here, as is the geriatric population, which suffers from skin loosening.
In the years to come, the demand for such products will burgeon in Asia-Pacific (APAC), which is majorly home to LMICs. The vast unmet need for skin treatments, combined with the efforts of several public and private firms to make people aware of the issue, will contribute to the increasing product sales. Further, the improving financial status of the populace, rising cases of burns and accidents, and bettering healthcare infrastructure will create a high demand for such treatments here.