A TikTok-famous doctor is under fire after she called out a woman with a skin condition, claiming that she was faking the look with makeup.
Nancy Morel posted a clip of herself getting ready for work in the midst of a skin flare-up on December 12, and it was viewed over 7.3 million times. Morel said she’d been going to doctors for her condition since 2016, but currently has no diagnosis.
On December 13, Morel posted a follow-up video, reacting to a TikTok featuring dermatologist Dr. Azadeh Shirazi, who has 1.9 million followers on TikTok.
Multiple captions appeared on screen as Morel’s original video played in the background, with footage of Shiraz overlaid. “Looks similar to vascular occlusion…BUT,” one caption said, before a second caption appeared that said, “Something’s not quite right…doesn’t seem ‘natural.'” Shiraz then pointed to a further caption which read, “She’s a very talented makeup artist.”
The video is no longer available on Shirazi’s account, but the clip was featured in Morel’s response and was stitched by others.
In Morel’s response, she said: “I don’t wish this lady any hate or negativity. I am only speaking on this because if 14 year old me saw a video like this she would crawl into her self conscious shell.”
She continued, “I hope this lady can understand why this video is extremely upsetting considering her large following and spreading false information on situations she clearly hasnt researched.” The video received over 8.3 million views.
I don’t wish this lady any hate or negativity. I am only speaking on this because if 14 year old me saw a video like this she would crawl into her self conscious shell, luckily i have a platform where i try and share positvity about my unique condition and help people grow to be confident in themselves. i hope this lady can understand why this video is extremely upsetting considering her large following and spreading false information on situations she clearly hasnt reserched…..
Throughout her response video, Morel wiped her face to show there was no makeup on her skin and showed the inside of her mouth where the flare-up was also visible.
“If you’re going to speak so vocally on something that is so sensitive, then make sure you’re 100% right,” Morel said at the end of her video.
A number of top comments criticized Shirazi. “What the hell!!! That is SO unprofessional of her!” a comment with over 100,000 likes said. A comment tagging Shirazi’s account and telling her to “apologize” was liked over 15,700 times.
In a video that is no longer available to view, but was partially re-uploaded by a TikTok user who goes by @northernmamabear84, Shirazi issued an apology.
The video featured Shirazi superimposed on a background of her initial response video to Morel. Shirazi can be heard addressing Morel, saying, “Hi Nancy, hi TikTok. I am really sorry.” The on-screen caption read, “I want to apologize for thinking your skin condition was not real. I did not know enough about you or your condition to make any assumptions.”
Further on-screen text read, “I deleted the video immediately” after realizing it was “hurtful or insensitive.”
Dr. Kelly Killeen, a plastic surgeon based in Los Angeles, California, with 48,000 followers on TikTok, reacted to the situation in a video that received over 216,000 views. She described Shirazi’s comments as “wildly inappropriate” and commended Morel for making her reaction video.
“It shows people how harmful this kind of behavior from medical professionals is,” Killeen said. “I hate when I see medical professionals, many in my field, who are giving unsolicited opinions and advice about other people’s bodies, bodies which they have not examined and they have no relationship with.”
Shirazi, who describes herself as an “educator” in her TikTok bio, regularly uploads videos reacting to skincare routine TikToks and providing advice. According to her website, she is a board-certified medical doctor and is currently the medical director at La Jolla Dermatology and Laser Surgery Center in San Diego, California. The center did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Morel has 1.7 million followers on TikTok, where she posts regular videos answering questions about her skin condition, as well as get-ready-with-me videos, and vlogs. Her videos have received a total of over 69.5 million likes.
Neither Morel nor Shirazi immediately responded to Insider’s requests for comment.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider’s Digital Culture team here.
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