Dr. Tiffany Moon used to live the regular life of a doctor: going into her hospital, working as an anesthesiologist, clocking out, and heading home to her family.
She has a list of accolades, including the Dennis Landers, MD, PhD Faculty of the Year Teaching Award, has been recognized as a Distinguished Educator by the Society for Education in Anesthesia and the American Society of Anesthesiologists. She was even listed as one of D Magazine‘s ‘Best Doctors’ several times.
In addition, she is an oral board examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology, has published over 50 original manuscripts, reviews, and book chapters, and speaks internationally on topics related to her research.
But, with the growth of social media, her life has drastically changed.
“I don’t know what happened, but I just started making my own TikToks, and one of them went viral, and I didn’t even know it,” Dr. Moon said.
She couldn’t believe that millions of people had seen her do a “silly TikTok dance,” but she loved the rush that came with it and began to make content ranging from her life at home to fashion to lifestyle in general to her life working in the hospital.
Dr. Moon now has 1.7 million followers on TikTok and 828,000 followers on Instagram. She even had the opportunity to star in The Real Housewives of Dallas and is hosting a summit for women who are looking to improve their professional and personal lives.
She isn’t the only doctor taking over social media, where some are even getting paid more than they are for their medical work.
It has become a community some call ‘MedTok,’ where TikTok users ask these doctors for advice, from whether or not to use a certain face wash, to help getting into med school.
Medical influencers in the early age of social media
The term ‘medical influencers’ may feel new, but doctors have been immersed in our entertainment for many years before social media’s influencer takeoff in 2020. Dr. Sandra Lee, a dermatologist, began showing some dermatological procedures on YouTube and Instagram which resulted in her getting her own TLC show “Dr. Pimple Popper.”
The show highlighted what Dr. Lee sees on the daily, from consults, surgeries, and in-office procedures. As a result, she has developed an audience of over five million followers across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
Her fandom even has a name for themselves, “Popaholics.” Dr. Lee believes the reason fans have resonated with her is not only due to the satisfying nature of popping pimples but because of the education factor. Her content allows fans to learn more about skin, its growths, and what causes them.
Similarly, Dr. Michael Salzhauer, also known as “Dr. Miami,” went viral on Snapchat for showing his surgeries. This not only resulted in a huge following but also increased his waiting list for plastic surgery.
He began posting before and afters of his surgeries, including everything from a Brazilian Butt Lift to liposuction. His somewhat graphic content even walks viewers through the surgeries—giving Snapchat users an inside look into the surgical process.
“Welcome back to the afternoon room for a wonderful Monday. We have a Brazilian Butt Lift. She is quite square, beforehand,” Dr. Miami says in one clip, showing the before pictures, the plan, and even parts of the surgery.“We’re going to snatch her waist, give her a round booty.”
COVID-19 sparked the huge spike in growth on “MedTok.”
Both Dr. Miami’s and Dr. Pimple Popper’s internet successes have inspired other medical professionals to take to social media, bolstered by the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Two of these creators are Dr. Anthony Youn and Dr. Moon, who began posting on TikTok.
Both doctors have taken different paths in the influencer world, as Dr. Moon posts lifestyle content, from working in the hospital to her everyday life at home, while Dr. Youn focuses more on medical advice.
Dr. Youn had always enjoyed the entertainment route, spending years doing national TV before he moved over to TikTok for its creative freedom.
“When Tik Tok came out, I was one of the OG adopters of Tik Tok as a physician. And I’d started playing around with that app and creating content,” Youn told the Daily Dot in an interview.
During the pandemic, his practice shut down, and he decided to create content to educate and entertain people. He now has over 8.4 million followers on TikTok and 1.3 million on Instagram.
“I just tried to create content that would take people out of that scary time, even for 20 seconds or a minute. Maybe give them a chuckle,” he said. “And at that point, it was when my social media kinda exploded.”
@doctoryoun Why exclaiming “Calories in, calories out” can be a d*ck move. #weightloss #caloriesincaloriesout #holistichealth ♬ original sound – Doctor Youn
For Dr. Moon, she felt inspired to turn to TikTok after seeing her stepdaughter making dances.
“My hospital canceled all the non-cancer, non-trauma surgeries. So I had a little extra spare time on my hands,” Moon told the Daily Dot in an interview. “One day, [her stepdaughter, Nicole] was like, ‘Do this dance with me.’ She was like, ‘It’s really easy. You’ll be able to do it.’ So I just did it with her. And I don’t know what happened, but I just started making my own TikToks. One of them went viral, and I didn’t even know it.”
Once she got that hit of dopamine from her first viral video, Dr. Moon realized she loved it.
The addictive dopamine rush
When creating content, influencers can’t be sure which videos will win the algorithm’s favor. So, as Dr. Moon explained, creators are always making more videos to see which one can hit a million views.
“It’s this variable reinforcement we learn in psychology, like a slot machine,” she said. “It’s the same psychology where you don’t know when it’s going to hit, and so you stay there and you do it. And you’re always trying to chase that high of like, the first video that got a million views.”
@tiffanymoonmd Did you know that male doctors earned an average of 23% more than their female counterparts? Why do you think this gender pay gap exists?? 🤷🏻♀️ #WomenInMedicine #PayGap #WomenEmpowerment #EqualPayForEqualWork #DoctorTok ♬ original sound – Tiffany Moon MD
Dr. Moon said it’s a very reinforcing pattern, which is why both consumers and creators of social media get sucked in. However, doctors’ move to social media can create legal grey areas and ethical questions for medical providers and viewers. And for some, it can have consequences.
Can doctors lose their medical licenses for posting on social media?
Dr. Katharine Roxanne Grawe, or Dr. Roxy, as she was known on TikTok, lost her medical license in 2023 for live streaming procedures, per Scripps News. It was revoked after she botched three different surgeries during TikTok livestreams, as she simultaneously read and answered fans’ questions while conducting the procedures.
The Ohio Medical Board not only permanently revoked her license but also gave her a $4,500 fine “based on her failure to meet standard of care.”
Grawe was first warned by the board in 2018 over concerns about patient privacy and possible ethics violations.
After her license was revoked, Grawe told her followers in the comments that she would not try to get her license reinstated in another state. “Right now I’m just focusing on taking great care of my kids & that means staying here for them,” she wrote in an Instagram comment under a July 12 post. The Daily Dot was unable to contact Grawe for comment.
What are the ethics and HIPAA boundaries for ‘docfluencers’?
While Grawe was not found to violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, more commonly known as HIPAA, many have raised concerns about medical content creators’ possible ethics violations when it comes to their patients.
In the digital age, both HIPAA and the American Medical Association (AMA) have guidelines for how doctors and practices should navigate social media.
Per HIPAA, a medical practice cannot publish any personal health information unless they explicitly get permission from the patient. It also says they cannot post details from reviews or posts their patients have made.
A common mistake medical practices make is replying or posting comments that disclose personal health information published elsewhere. To stay in compliance with HIPAA, posts should be informational content that can apply to many patients.
They also recommend posting more about the providers and staff working, showing their personalities, hobbies, and different awards and recognitions.
AMA’s guidelines address professionalism and protecting a patient’s privacy. It doesn’t explicitly say how doctors should navigate brand deals and endorsements, or what constitutes advice versus general information, among other topics.
There is also no real vetting process to tell users who is a credible doctor and who isn’t, even if they gain a sizable following.
People are running to social media for medical help
With medical influencers blowing up on social media, there is a space for online users to turn to their content for advice and help.
About 10,500 adults from China, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. were surveyed online in 2022 per a joint survey by Sermo and LiveWorld. The report found that 33% of Gen Z patients use specific groups on social media to discuss an illness or medical situation. Their top three platforms are TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
Meanwhile, 26% of millennial patients used social media platforms to talk about medical issues, citing Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter, and 14% of Gen X patients sought out medical discussions on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Not only that, doctors are turning to other doctors for medical information and professional networking.
In the same survey, 57% of U.S.-based physicians frequently or occasionally change their perception of a medication or treatment based on content they’ve seen on social media. More than 200 physicians across various specialties were surveyed in November 2022.
Just like average TikTok users, doctors are also influenced by internet creators. Dr. Youn said his favorite doctor to follow is Dr. Subbio.
“He’s an artist, like a true artist. He puts a lot of this artistry into his social media. He’s hilarious. He’s very creative,” Youn said. “His account is an insider’s favorite account. So if you were to ask plastic surgeons and dermatologists who their favorite plastic surgeon account on Instagram is, a huge percentage would say Subbio.”
But doctors warn to be careful of medical content creators.
“From a consumer standpoint, just because someone makes good TikToks doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a good surgeon,” Dr. Moon said. “But because you put yourself out there and you’re funny and you’re relatable, it sort of takes this mystique off you as this surgeon on a pedestal, and you feel like you know them, and therefore you trust them.”
Positive and negative impacts on the doctors
While a social media presence can have perks for doctors, it can also have negative impacts on the doctors’ personal lives, practice, and credibility. Showcasing their personalities online can alter people’s perspectives of doctors, despite the prestige reputation medical professionals often have. Protecting this persona is an issue that Dr. Moon has run into in her comments section.
“I have had comments, especially when I’m doing something that’s a little bit not the norm. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re so unprofessional. I would never trust you to be my doctor.’” she said.
She also has had experiences where she was called into her supervisor’s office to discuss content she had posted. All she had done was share “silly, little TikTok dances.”
“To be called into my supervisor’s office to discuss things that I post like that was a little bit bewildering to me,” Moon said.
She was shocked, especially since other doctors have a glass of wine every now and then, Moon said, they just don’t post it.
Dr. Youn’s practice as a plastic surgeon has directly benefited from his blow-up on social media. “I went from having a few months of waiting lists to a year. And that has since ballooned to a couple of years now and I think I have a two-and-a-half-year waiting list,” he said.
It has gotten to the point where he doesn’t use social media to promote his practice, he just does it because he enjoys it, Dr. Youn said.
While Dr. Youn now creates content for enjoyment rather than for financial gain, it’s led to several brand deals, including one with Cetaphil, and his own skincare line. He also gets paid by Instagram and TikTok for views.
‘Medfluencers’ looking ahead to the future and the impacts social media will have
Medical influencers aren’t going anywhere. As younger generations turn to social platforms over search engines for their health questions, doctors’ online presences become more pressing.
“I think it’s really going to be the prime way for people to learn about health, wellness, and medicine,” Dr. Youn said. “Instead of Googling it, a lot of times they [users] will search it on TikTok, and look at videos of people who discuss it or who’ve had it done and learn that way.”
In a survey reported by Forbes, 67% of 18-24-year-olds say they use Instagram to search. TikTok is the second choice at 62%, while 61% say they turn to Google.
TikTok’s appeal is a short-form video that will get you all the information you need to know quickly and efficiently, Dr. Youn said, whereas a YouTube video could be 20 minutes long.
The internet is also a breeding ground for fake information, like the different home remedies to help prevent COVID-19. Myths have spread like wildfire, from solutions like drinking or bathing in hot water to washing out the inside of your nose with saline solution.. These cures aren’t effective.
Pandemic misinformation went as far as to say that exposure to 5G networks impacts your chances of getting the virus, which Mayo Clinic debunked.
Dr. Moon said the medical community is doing a great job debunking some of those myths.
“I just think it’s really cool when doctors can take things in the community and distill them into a way that the general public can understand,” she said. “They’re out there preventing people from doing potentially dangerous things or teaching people about medical concepts and ways to diagnose and prevent disease.”
With the growth of medical information becoming more available online, it doesn’t mean that people should stop seeing doctors, she warns. Dr. Moon said it should be used as a resource to help understand symptoms and diagnoses but not as a substitute.
As Dr. Moon noted, “I think it’s a resource, and like all other resources in life, it should be used in an appropriate manner and not a substitute for actual medical attention.”
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