The coronavirus disease 2019 (aka COVID-19) has officially infected every facet of our daily lives: it has shuttered schools and offices; soured spring-break travel plans; and commandeered nearly our every conversation. Not even our once escapist social feeds are immune—the usual facelift and filler content from our favorite derms and plastic surgeons has been supplanted by well-meaning posts on handwashing, supply shortages, and the supposed wonders of zinc.

Their followers and patients are suddenly depending on them, not just for the usual skin-health and cosmetic advice but also for reliable updates on COVID-19’s reach and impact as well as sound advice on avoiding exposure. While “I spend a lot of time trying to calm worried patients,” says [Dr. Evan Rieder, a board-certified dermatologist and psychiatrist in New York City], across the country, in Seattle, a city hard-hit by the virus, “our phones are ringing off the hook,” says board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Lisa Sowder. “People are afraid—they’re unsure if they should be rescheduling elective surgeries, and they want reassurance.”