Posts share altered videos to fabricate medical endorsement of skin condition cream

Published on March 21, 2024 at 09:59
4 min read
By Lucille SODIPE, AFP Philippines

Clips from two medical television shows in the Philippines have been digitally altered to falsely insert a claim that a dermatologist had endorsed a cream touted online as an approved treatment for certain skin conditions. The dermatologist seen in the altered videos told AFP she did not endorse the product. Separately, AFP found no record of the cream in the Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) database as of March 21, 2024.

A video viewed more than 250,000 times on Facebook since March 2 shows a Philippine aesthetic dermatologist Sarah Barba-Cabodil in an interview with broadcast journalist Alvin Elchico.

"What is this cream that's supposedly an effective solution for skin diseases like atopic dermatitis, Doc?" Elchico appears to ask at the start of the footage.

Cabodil seems to answer, "Yes, this is the 'Dermacare Cream," before discussing various skin issues -- such as psoriasis and eczema -- that she says the product can help control.

Screenshot of false post taken on March 18, 2024

Another manipulated video on Facebook appears to show Cabodil with the same product on another television programme.

"As a doctor, I always recommend topical treatment for my patients. And one of the effective topical creams that I recommend is the 'Dermacare Cream'," she says in the video. "It has natural ingredients that can help with the symptoms of psoriasis."

Screenshot of false post taken on March 18, 2024

Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis -- also called eczema -- are incurable, chronic skin diseases that can cause itchy and flaking skin.

But Cabodil told AFP she had never endorsed the product.

She said both conditions should be managed following a consultation with a dermatologist, adding that self-medication may lead to "unwanted complications".

"Psoriasis and eczema are clinical conditions. It's not good to self-medicate," she told AFP on March 20. "If you delay the correct management, there would be chances or possibilities of having complications that we do not want, especially if you misuse or use the wrong medication. We're not even sure if every ingredient they've declared in the product is true."

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration's website does not list "Dermacare Cream" as a registered drug or cosmetic product (archived links here and here).

AFP found the false videos were altered versions of interviews featuring Cabodil in which she did not mention the product.

Altered video

The first video was taken from a now-defunct television show of Philippine broadcast giant ABS-CBN called "Salamat Dok (Thanks Doc)."

The segment was posted on the programme's official YouTube channel in November 2019 alongside the title, "Dr. Barba-Cabodil talks about the comparison between skin asthma and eczema" (archived link).

The part of the false video where host Elchico can be heard asking a question was taken from the segment's seven-minute and eight-second mark.

He asks in Tagalog: "So you mean if a person has a good immune system, chances are it won't manifest, or if it does, it can be controlled?"

The first part of Cabodil's answer was taken from the video's 36-second mark, where she says: "First we need to define what eczema, or skin asthma or atopic dermatitis is."

Below is a screenshot comparison of the altered Facebook post (left), and the original footage from "Salamat Dok" (right):

Screenshot comparison of the altered Facebook post (left), and the original footage from "Salamat Dok" (right).

The other false video also shows signs of alteration.

The clip was based on the show "Doctors on TV" which Cabodil hosts for Philippine broadcaster UNTV News and Rescue.

A 45-minute episode titled "Psoriasis: Know the Symptoms, Causes, and available Treatments from Dermatology Specialist" was posted on the media outlet's official YouTube channel on August 13, 2023 (archived link).

The scene in the altered post was taken from the beginning to the video's eight-second mark, where Cabodil opens the show.

The altered video repeatedly uses the scene shown from the 19-minute and 23-second mark, where instead of discussing the supposed ingredients of "Dermacare Cream", Cabodil says in Tagalog: "And to continue with our discussion, we are still with Dr Angeli Eloise Torres-Paulino or Doc Gail, a photomedicine and dermatology specialist from Makati Medical Center."

Below is a screenshot comparison of the altered Facebook post (left), and the original footage from "Doctors on TV" (right):

Screenshot comparison of the altered Facebook post (left), and the original footage from "Doctors on TV" (right).

AFP debunked a false advertisement in March 2023 that also falsely claimed an unproven product could treat skin conditions such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

At that time, Dr Amanda Christine Esquivel of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila told AFP that treatments for these skin conditions were "diverse and varied".

"Treatments differ depending on the specific condition and their severity, and may range from topical to oral medications," she said.

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