The three most followed physicians in the history ofsocial mediaarePeoples Sexiest Doctor Alive and two board-certifieddermatologists.
He once told an interviewer he aspires to become the Ryan Seacrest of dermatology.
With an audience of nearly 20 million, his TikTok following outnumbers Seacrests by more than 100 to 1.
Collage: Ingrid Fowler; Source images: Getty
The other dermatologist is a name youve probably heard before: Sandra Lee, MD, akaDr.
Skin is in her blood.
Dr. Lees father was a dermatologist, and shes married to one.
Things didnt take off until she created anInstagram accountin 2014.
Some of them wished shed chosen a name that reflects the breadth of their expertise.
I’m like, Because I’m here seeing you.
In the marketing plans of skin-care companies, these professionals are called dermfluencers.
But they do provide the public service of free-access skin-care programming dispensed by a board-certified physician.
Sometimes, though, there is less reverence for the dermfluencer in the dermatologic community.
There arent enough of us.
Dermfluencing is a time-consuming endeavor at its highest levels, it could be nearly all-consuming.
I’m like, Because I’m here seeing you.
To bring your hustle online is a new American pastime; even beekeepers are doing it.
But beekeepers arent medical doctors, no offense to them.
That respect can be tarnished, though, when we catch them doing skits about moisturizers for affiliate revenue.
At George Washington University, Dr. Friedman had a passionate dermatology resident namedAngelo Landriscina, MD.
Dr. Friedman blessed him under one condition: no product recommendations paid or unpaid.
The relationship between commerce and dermatology is not new.
Dermatologists have also created and sold their own skin products for the better part of the last century.
In the 90s, Drs.
Brandt and Perricone created skin-care brands; more recently, Drs.
Lee and Alexiades and Idriss did the same.
I think the rise of the dermfluencer was really prompted by the pandemic, Dr. Landriscina hypothesizes.
But, he notes, this practice has been going on for decades, just not as publicly.
To bring your hustle online is a new American pastime; even beekeepers are doing it.
But beekeepers arent medical doctors, no offense to them.
Before long, their conversation drifted to social media.
The rep told Dr. Day that her 12-year-old daughter voraciously watched dermatologists online.
She gets all of her information from TikTok, Dr. Day says.
She maybe has one little pimple.
But the stigmas dont last, says Dr. Day.
“Everything that used to be like, ‘Eh?’
is now like, ‘Meh.
Within a few weeks, a skin-care brand had come across her page, and presented an opportunity.
The brand paid Dr. Day $10,000.
I was like, I get paid for this?
Though the sum was less than what she would have made seeing patients, the opportunity proved invaluable.
For some time now, there have been press junkets in Anguilla and media interviews for new-to-market creams.
The enterprising dermatologist from Dr. Days early years in practice was wise to stake out their own web address.
Dr. Love joined Instagram, but just as a means to promote her blog.
In those early days of her residency, it was embarrassing to have social media, she recalls.
At NYU, Dr. Love metJoyce Park, MD, a fellow resident dabbling in the social media arts.
(Dr. Park, @teawithmd, now has about 170,000 followers on Instagram and almost 700,000on TikTok.)
Both graduated into residency with online audiences, though neither considers herself an influencer.
Nothing against them, Dr. Love clarifies.
But I went to medical school, I did residency training.
Today, Dr. Love says she sees patients four days a week at a private practice in Manhattan.
Patients were scheduled every 10 to 15 minutes for strictly one or two skin issues.
Dr. Park didnt like having to tell them to make another appointment if they had a third question.
In 2022, she openedher own telemedicine practicefor patients in Washington and California.
The Seattle-based Dr. Park estimates that she now sees between 4 and 16 patients per week.
As a virtual dermatologist, she provides treatment for acne, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, and hair loss.
She can prescribe medications but, for obvious reasons, cannot perform procedures.
Would you forgo joining, or starting, a practice full-time to pursue dermfluencing?
The respondents, she says, were evenly trisected.
A dermatology resident earns an average $88,000 a year, according to Glassdoor.
The annual salary of a seasoned dermatologist can climb past half a million dollars in some cities.
(I asked the DermTokers publicist about that figure, but he declined to discuss.)
This year CeraVe is even funding an additional spot in the residency program at George Washington University.
Last year, Dr. Shah joined the staff atHudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery, in Manhattans tony Hudson Yards.
Dr. Shah began posting as a resident in 2020.
Dr. Shahs email is hosted by dermcollective.org DermCollective is the LLC that Shah established in 2020.
Im just editing some videos right now, he tells me.
What reason would I have to stop them when it’s educating the public and saving lives?
Like so many others, he began posting in 2020, just for fun.
He also, like a few others in 2020, rode TikToks sudden pandemic-driven popularity straight to stardom.
Being a doctor is a little bit unrelatable, says Dr. Shah.
It feels almost paternalistic in some ways, the way that we can give advice.
So I really attempt to reduce that friction and make it funny, make it relatable.
So you should really take this seriously.
He also said: Just be ethical and honest.
I reach that program director, Jonathan Crane, DO, via email.
What reason would I have to stop them when it’s educating the public and saving lives?
He points out that Dr. Shah was honored with theMelanoma Research Foundations Influencer Award in 2021.
For me, it’s just not true, he says when we connect in late February.
He was recently in New York, he adds, where he was performing hair transplants at Hudson Dermatology.
He does travel often, but Dr. Shah says that New York City is his full-time residence.
He says he hopes to ramp up his availability this year.
Maybe they have social anxiety, kids at home, fear of germs.
I almost feel like, who am I to judge?
And they only have a few obligations to disclose how much they are paid for promotional or consulting services.
A lack of comprehensive regulation and full transparency has driven some doctors to establish their own boundaries.
The veteran dermatologist dropped out.
Im not giving the credibility to people who are not working.
Im not giving the credibility to people who are not working.
Skin-care companies are incentivized to work with dermatologists early on, even during residency.
Whether or not a dermatology resident is an eligible dermfluencer varies from program to program.
In addition, we advise discretion when recommending products and accepting paid partnerships with brands.
We’re a society that is increasingly conditioned to spin our expertise into engagement.
Birdwatchers do it, beekeepers do it, even educated tweens do it.
I respect the energy and the investment and the creativity, he says.
Dr. Lee/Pimple Popper agrees: I see the draw, she says.
He left last fall, and says he is currently in contract negotiations for a new position elsewhere.
By and large, we still have clinical duties, says Dr. Landriscina.
You could make it exactly what you want it to be.
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