United States
Daniel Sugai, MD — known online as Dr. SPF, a handle that doubles as a mission statement — is a board-certified dermatologist based in Seattle whose path ran from Oahu, where he grew up and…
Total Followers +0.2%
2.8M
Across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Primary Platform
YouTube
718K followers · 26% of audience
Engagement
5.6%
vs. 1.5% category median
Sponsorship Tier
Macro
Est. $12K–$28K / IG post
| Window | YouTube | TikTok | Combined | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last 7 days | +0 +0.0% | +159 +0.0% | +0 +0.0% | +159 |
| Last 30 days | +5K +0.7% | +1K +0.2% | +0 +0.0% | +6K |
| Last 90 days | +6K +0.8% | +9K +1.1% | +0 +0.0% | +15K |
| Last 365 days | +6K +0.8% | +9K +1.1% | +0 +0.0% | +15K |
Daily follower snapshots from CreatorDB's longitudinal index.
Daniel Sugai, MD — known online as Dr. SPF, a handle that doubles as a mission statement — is a board-certified dermatologist based in Seattle whose path ran from Oahu, where he grew up and attended the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, through a Harvard Medical School dermatology residency before landing in the Pacific Northwest. His channel branding leans hard into sun protection and preventive skin health, evident in a content library anchored by hashtags around sunscreen, retinoids, and skin cancer awareness. Rather than positioning himself as a distant clinical authority, his tone is conversational and actively destigmatizing — posts on cold sores, eyelid dermatitis, and pediatric skin conditions read like a trusted doctor explaining things plainly, a style that has cultivated a multi-million follower audience across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with engagement rates that run well above the dermatology-creator median.
His audience skews heavily female and young adult — the demographic most actively shopping the prestige and mass-market skincare aisle — which makes his platform attractive to brands from drugstore staples like CeraVe up through clinical skincare lines. Beyond patient-facing content, Sugai has built a parallel business through Sugai Academy, a social media mentoring program aimed at healthcare professionals looking to build their own digital presence, adding a B2B dimension that broadens his brand beyond pure consumer influence. With consistent upload cadence maintained across all three platforms and engagement metrics that suggest genuine audience investment rather than passive following, he occupies a well-defined lane where clinical credibility and accessible content style converge — a positioning that tends to age well as audiences grow more skeptical of unqualified skincare advice.
Drspf reaches an audience concentrated in United States primarily through YouTube, and is best activated via long-form YouTube integrations, Instagram Reels and Stories, TikTok branded content. Their sponsorship history skews toward Education / Creator Coaching, a clear signal of fit for brands in those categories. Demonstrated partners include Sugai Academy. Engagement on YouTube runs around 5.6%, which points to an audience better suited to category-relevant, mid-funnel campaigns than to pure-reach buys. The channel's mix of long-form YouTube integrations and Instagram Reels and Stories lets a sponsor choose between short awareness placements and longer, more detailed integrations. Because the audience follows beauty content rather than arriving through untargeted reach, sponsorships that match the channel's subject matter tend to convert more efficiently than broad placements. A consistent, on-topic posting focus gives sponsors a predictable, brand-safe environment, lowering placement risk compared with broad, general-interest channels. Campaigns here are best measured on qualified engagement and consideration within the niche rather than on raw impression volume. For United States-focused brands in Education / Creator Coaching and related categories, Drspf offers a defined, creative-fit audience rather than broad, low-intent impressions.
Benchmark estimates for a creator at Drspf's tier (Macro, 2.8M combined followers, United States). Pulled from CreatorDB's category benchmarks.
The CreatorDB Agency runs end-to-end influencer campaigns globally — shortlisting, outreach, contracting, and performance reporting. Talk to our team about building a campaign around creators in this niche.
Drspf is the brand identity built around Dr. Daniel Sugai's signature focus on sun protection — SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. The handle doubles as his medical title and his most-advocated skincare ingredient, reflecting a content philosophy centered on daily sunscreen use and skin cancer awareness. His recurring hashtag #wearyoursunscreen reinforces this as a core mission, not just a content angle.
Drspf's real name is Daniel Sugai, MD, and he posts under the handle @danielsugaimd across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. He is a board-certified dermatologist currently practicing in Seattle, Washington. His combined following across platforms puts him well into the Macro creator tier for medical and skincare content.
Yes — Dr. Sugai completed his dermatology residency at Harvard Medical School, which he consistently highlights as a core credential. Before Harvard, he attended medical school at the University of Hawaii, where he also met his wife. His training path took him from Oahu to Boston and eventually to his current practice in Seattle.
Dr. Sugai is a board-certified dermatologist based in Seattle, Washington. He grew up in Oahu, Hawaii — he references this with "808 born" in his TikTok bio — then trained at the University of Hawaii and Harvard Medical School before settling in the Pacific Northwest. His clinical experience informs the evidence-backed angle he takes in his content.
Sugai Academy is a social media education program founded by Dr. Daniel Sugai, aimed at helping medical professionals and other experts build an online presence. Alongside his dermatology practice, Dr. Sugai has developed a full mentorship side to his career, positioning himself as a guide for clinicians looking to translate their expertise into content. He lists it prominently in his bios across every platform.
Yes — Dr. Sugai was born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii, which he references as "808 born" in his TikTok bio. He attended the University of Hawaii for medical school, where he also met his wife, before moving to Boston for his Harvard dermatology residency. His journey from Hawaii to Boston to Seattle is a recurring part of his personal brand story.
Retinoids are one of Dr. Sugai's most consistent content topics — hashtags like #tretinoin, #retinoid, and #howtouseretinol appear repeatedly across his posts. He approaches these ingredients clinically, explaining how to introduce them safely and what realistic results look like. His framing positions retinoids as evidence-based tools rather than skincare trends.
Sunscreen is arguably Dr. Sugai's defining topic — his brand handle Drspf is literally built around SPF, and campaigns like #wearyoursunscreen and #skincancerawareness are central to his channel. As a practicing dermatologist, he sees UV-related skin damage and skin cancer in clinical settings and uses his platform to correct widespread sunscreen myths. It is both a public health message and the core of his content identity.
Dr. Sugai regularly features budget-friendly options in his content — including CeraVe's salicylic acid cleanser for managing clogged pores — making the case that effective skincare does not require expensive products. His product review content is filtered through a clinical lens, favoring formulations with documented efficacy over hype-driven launches. He has noted that only a subset of the many products he tests actually make his recommended list.
Pool toes is a common summer skin condition in children caused by prolonged moisture and friction from swimming pool floors, leading to skin breakdown on the toes. Dr. Sugai highlighted it as a frequent warm-weather concern that parents often don't recognize, fitting his broader approach of covering real, everyday dermatology conditions beyond just cosmetic skincare. This kind of clinically grounded content — addressing conditions like eyelid dermatitis and cold sores without stigma — is a signature part of his channel.
Stats (followers, engagement, audience demographics, growth) are pulled live from the CreatorDB API covering YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Bio and FAQ content is AI-assisted; news items are sourced from cited public press at generation time. Read the full methodology →
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@drspf · YouTube
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