DermDoctor

Dr. Muneeb Shah, also known as "DermDoctor", is a dermatology chief resident who has gone viral on the social media app after sharing reaction videos, explanations of medical skin conditions, and suggestions for how to target your skin concerns. With almost 18.1 million followers on TikTok, Dr. Shah "didn't know" that his videos would go viral, but simply wanted to educate people and stop the spread of "misinformation" and "fear-mongering."

Dr. Shah attributes his viral success to being "very straightforward" with his audience. Instead of using confusing medical terminology, the dermatologist breaks down a diagnosis and treatment in viral reaction videos. If you've scrolled through skincare tips and tricks on TikTok, you may have come across DIY skincare. While you may feel like a scientist by making your own face mask with lemon juice or honey, Dr. Shah says that this method is just "not reliable or even practical" if you want to see substantial results in your skin.

TikTok skincare hacks have become a big trending topic. In one viral video, a woman taped a potato to her face claiming it helped to reduce her acne inflammation. Though potatoes do have "high concentrations of salicylic acid," Dr. Shah said it's not practical to rub a potato on your forehead. Instead, opt for over-the-counter products from your local CVS or Rite Aid to treat active breakouts.

Another trend that is popular among the skincare community: exfoliating. Many brands have created physical scrubs to help remove dead skin cells. Instead of reaching for Kylie Jenner's Walnut Face Scrub, Dr. Shah recommends using a chemical exfoliant, such as a product containing salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acid. He noted that chemical exfoliants are more reliable in achieving smoother skin texture and "breaking the bonds between cells," and that physical exfoliants can "damage the skin" if the particles in the product are sharp. However, one mistake that the dermatologist sees being made with chemical exfoliants is that people tend to overuse them.

Dr. Shah recommends potential buyers do their research before purchasing these life-changing products that are being endorsed by celebrities. Dr. Shah told us that since skincare is a very lucrative business, many companies just put a celeb's face on the product, and "there's no thought that goes into it." He added, "They are just trying to cash grab."

"Skincare is more scientific than makeup," the dermatologist stated. "So you can't put something out and make outrageous claims about it without any proof that it's actually true."

Shah said that he actually just started creating content for fun, and then the videos started to take off. It was unintentional. At one point, he made an educational video and realized from the positive response that there was a huge space for good information on skincare and dermatology.

He added, “During the pandemic, people were spending a lot of time on Zoom, looking at their own face, And instead of focusing on covering things up, a lot of people were trying to actually heal their skin. So you saw just a huge spike in interest in skincare at the same time that I incidentally started creating content about skincare.”

Shah in an interview said that he has actually left his old videos up just so that people could go back and see how it all started. He says he was holding the mic piece to his iPhone and using a lamp in front of him as his front light. There was no thought process about production values at all. He says he was just having fun with creating content.

There is a real access issue in the United States with healthcare. In certain areas, you cannot see a dermatologist; you don't have access to the types of physicians you need, so there is this massive gap of information that needs to be filled. So when Shah started to create content that went viral about specific diseases, that's when he realized that he could educate so many people.

After he first went viral, his mentor said that he had just educated five million people about hidradenitis suppurativa, which would take a lifetime to do in person. That's when Shah realized that this is really important and something to integrate into his life long-term. That's when he pivoted to making a real platform out of it and expanded into YouTube.

Dr. Shah is interested in creating more informative skin-related content with Justine DiVanna, and it is no wonder why – in the few months since she has joined the platform, she has earned a reputation as a voice of authority in the world of beauty. Since her first video was uploaded last August, she has been gaining millions of monthly views. Justine is known for encouraging women to embrace who they are, regardless of what they do with their appearance. This goes well with the Derm Doctor's personal philosophy, which he discussed in a recent ABC interview.

Moreover, some content just isn’t fit for social media. Viewers need to keep in mind that a general education video is not a substitute for a doctor’s consultation, said Shah. “It’s important to get the right diagnosis and not totally rely on videos,” he said. “The information out there is good, but there’s that nuance that you miss when you don’t see someone in person.”

The majority of his income comes from being a successful dermatologist. As of 2024, Dermdoctor has an estimated net worth of around $1 million-$2 million as per sources. Dermdoctor is easily able to earn around $8.65k - $13.0k per post for promotional content and advertising on TikTok. He has 18.1 million people following his verified TikTok account. His annual salary is estimated to be several thousand dollars.

Dr. Muneeb Shah was born on 24 June 1988 in Rochester, New York. His zodiac sign is Cancer. On TikTok alone, he has over 18.1 million fans.

His father was born in Pakistan, and his mother was born in New York. As a child, education and hard work were a part of his upbringing, but Shah said he couldn't quite find his niche. He has not disclosed much information related to his father and mother’s name and their respective details as of now.

Dr. Muneeb Shah is a happily married man. He is married to his obstetrician-gynecologist wife. His wife has also appeared in the Dermdoctor’s videos but she hasn't been tagged in any of those videos.

Dr. Muneeb Shah was a Campbell University Dermatology Resident Physician. He was born and brought up in New York, and he moved on from Hofstra University with a Magna Cum Laude degree. Shah then migrated to Florida to finish his clinical instruction at Nova Southeastern University, where he graduated with distinction. From that point forward, he went through a year as an assistant in Internal Medicine at Albany Medical Center in New York, trailed by thorough preparation in Diagnostic Radiology at Penn State University. He’s given discussions at a few clinical meetings the nation over.

Shah had always been interested in learning. He counseled medical students, produced educational summaries for board exams, and mentored before becoming a social media celebrity. Due to his academic achievements, he was also inducted into the national medical honor organizations Sigma Sigma Phi and Psi Sigma Alpha. As a Wolters Kluwer Firecracker Inc.’s Editorial Review Board member, he currently writes and edits medical material.

Dr. Muneeb Shah is extremely active on social media sites. He has gathered more than 1 million followers on his Instagram account and nearly 16.9 million followers on his TikTok account. However, he does not have an official Twitter or Facebook page.

Dermdoctor also has a YouTube channel and its content is quite similar to his content on Tiktok, with the exception that the videos are usually 8 to 10 minutes long. The additional content types that we may see on the YouTube channel are mostly reaction and commentary videos. Dermdoctor has more than 2.84 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

Along with being a video content creator on YouTube and TikTok, he is also popular on Instagram where we can see him share photos and videos that give us an insight into his personal life apart from the usual skincare content. He also shares short clips from his TikTok and YouTube accounts. The total number of followers that they have on Instagram is more than 1 million.

On TikTok, Dermdoctor posts videos daily, and most of his videos are skin-care related videos also now known as “Dermtok”. He has amassed over 18.1 million followers and 552 million likes on his verified TikTok account.

This video is titled “Always wear eye protection”. Here, he reacts to a video of a person removing airsoft pellets from a man's face without gloves. It also happens to be one of the most engaging videos on his channel with an engagement percentage of 9.54%, 10.9m views, and 1.80k reshares.

This video is titled “Rare 10/10”. Here, he reacts to a pimple pop. It happens to be one of the most viewed videos with an engagement percentage of 6.37%, 13.5m views, 844k likes and 9.40k comments.

This video is titled “Life saving video”, where he reacts to a video of removing a ring from a finger when it gets stuck. It happens to be one of the most liked videos with 12.8m views, 1.1m likes and 18.1k comments.

This video is titled “10/10 one of the greatest videos of our generation” where he reacts to a video of a splinter getting removed from a person's leg.