15/06/2026
At any medical conference, all speakers have to declare if they have any competing conflicts of interest pertaining to the subject they are talking about . This means that they need to declare if they have received money or benefitted financially from the topic they are discussing.
It is tempting to say that a doctor who is funded such a way must therefore have bias and there are certainly studies confirming this. But there is nuance to it too.
Many doctors receive funding from pharmaceutical or cosmeceutical companies to do clinical trials and research, speak at or attend meetings, myself included. Some doctors will be approached to use their expertise to develop new drugs or cosmetics.
The time when you should worry is when a doctor is practising outside of their field of specialism or is promoting one product, cream or device only. There needs to be active discussion of the pros and cons of any treatment and alternatives need to be offered.
Before you make a decision, do your research. See if the only studies into said product are by the doctor or company marketing the product and do not solely rely on social media.
