The “Best TikToks of 2021” were made by “Tik-Docs,” who top the New York Post’s December 31 list of TikTok trends that defined 2021.
“Doctors have been increasingly posting quirky science content in an effort to educate youngsters about medicine,” the Post writes, noting that Tik-Doc popularity spiked mid-year when Dr. Anthony Youn “ripped medical experts for dismissing breast implant illness.”
Dr. Youn is but 100,000 followers shy of his mock archrival, Dr. Richard Brown (aka “TheRealTikTokDoc”), but Youn’s videos collectively have more “Likes.”
A study published in the Dec., 2021 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery suggests that board-certified plastic surgeons sharing their perspectives and educational content on the platform may make for a better patient experience.
“Improving the presence of educational content and perspectives from board-certified plastic surgeons on TikTok may improve patient experiences in plastic surgery.”
Plastic Surgeons in TikTok: Top Influencers, Most Recent Posts, and User Engagement, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: December 2021
The study found that of each of the popular physician-influencer’s five most recent posts, 76 percent were educational in nature, 20 percent were “personal,” and 4 percent were advertisements.
TikTok’s Most Popular Plastic Surgeons, January 2022
These are the app’s most popular plastic surgery influencers as of January 2022.
| Plastic Surgeon | Follows | Likes |
| 1. Dr. Richard J. Brown | 7.5M | 134.1M |
| 2. Dr. Anthony Youn | 7.4M | 228.3M |
| 3. Dr. Daniel Barrett | 1.8M | 24.4M |
| 4. Dr. Michael Salzhauer | 1.3M | 25M |
| 5. Dr. Charles S. Lee | 886.1K | 28.4M |
| 6. Dr. Remus Repta | 834.2K | 11.5M |
| 7. Dr. Matthew Schulman | 602.6K | 17M |
| 8. Dr. Hermes Pelayo | 582.8K | 9M |
| 9. Dr. Prem Tripathi | 544.5K | 5.7M |
| 10. Dr. Cat Begovic | 537.7K | 3.3M |
Two Top Plastic Surgery Influencers No Longer on App
According to research done in February 2021, Dr. Daniel Aronov of Melbourne, Australia, was then TikTok’s most popular plastic surgery influencer. By December, Aronov had reached 13-million followers on the app but was barred from practice over ethical concerns.
Dr. Daniel Lanzer, also of Melbourne, with 3.6-million followers in February and 5.3-million by late October, was the third-most popular plastic surgery influencer. Dr. Lanzer deleted his content. Both doctors are no longer on the app.
Top TikTok Plastic Surgeons, February 2021
According to the study, these were the app’s most popular plastic surgery influencers as of February 2021.
- Dr. Daniel Aronov (8M Followers, 128.3M Likes)
- Dr. Richard J. Brown (4.7M, 84.4M)
- Dr. Daniel Lanzer (3.6M, 50.2M)
- Dr. Anthony Youn (2.9M, 101M)
- Dr. Daniel Barrett (1.6M, 19.7M)
- Dr. Remus Repta (868K, 11.4M)
- Dr. Catherine Huang-Begovic (555K, 3.2M)
- Dr. Hermes Pelayo (534K, 7M)
- Dr. Charles S. Lee (506K, 11.7M)
- Dr. Matthew Schulman (492K, 15M)