Understanding the Different Stages of a Dermatology Clinical Trial

Choosing to participate in a dermatology clinical trial is no small decision. Understanding the different stages of a dermatology trial can help you decide if it’s the right choice for you and what kinds of trials you’d like to participate in. 

At Skin Care Research, we’re dedicated to ensuring our participants are educated and well-prepared for each clinical trial, so we’re breaking down everything you need to know ahead of time.

Stages of a Dermatology Clinical Trial

Skin Care Research only conducts phase II-V clinical trials, meaning any medications or treatments have already cleared initial safety testing. The goal in these later phases of clinical research is primarily to assess effectiveness as a treatment for specific conditions and document potential side effects. Participants in these trials can expect to go through the following stages.

Stage 1: Recruitment

This earliest stage seeks to gather an adequate pool of interested candidates who may qualify for the dermatology clinical trial. Potential participants may learn about an enrolling trial through online advertisements, recommendation by a physician, or by word of mouth. However you learn about a study, the next step relies on interested participants contacting the clinical trial team to be added into the candidate pool.

Stage 2: Pre-Screening

Once you’ve entered the candidate pool for a clinical trial with Skin Care Research, our patient coordinator will contact you to ask a few questions to determine if you pre-qualify for the study. During this time, they will also provide some initial details on the study and answer any questions you may have.

Stage 3: Informed Consent & Screening

If you are determined to be a good potential candidate and you choose to continue forward with the dermatology clinical trial, the next step is screening. During this stage, you’ll be invited to one of our partner dermatology clinics for a health assessment by one of our accredited researchers. As board-certified dermatologists, they will provide or affirm the appropriate diagnosis, and determine if you are a good fit for the study. 

Stage 4: Randomization

Once an adequate number of participants have been accepted into a study, the candidate pool is randomized into a control group and a treatment group to help ensure results are correct and unbiased. You will not be informed as to which group you’ve been placed to help maintain study integrity. As the gold-standard for any clinical trial, randomization aims to maintain a balanced distribution of known and unknown factors between groups, such as baseline characteristics and risk

Stage 5: Data Collection

This stage of the clinical trial process is where participants are most involved and most important. Data collection for a dermatology trial can last between a few weeks to a year or more, depending on the study subject. Participants may be asked to attend regular appointments with a dermatologist, log when a medication is used and their experiences, or follow other guidelines to help researchers gather necessary information. The timeline of an enrolling trial will be disclosed during the recruitment phase, so you can make the best decision about participating. 

Applying for a Clinical Trial

If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial to help further developments in treating chronic skin conditions, please review our list of actively enrolling trials today. If there is one you are interested in, fill out the application, and our coordinator will reach out to you with the next steps. After confirming your details to determine if you qualify, we will schedule an initial screening with one of our expert researchers.