RealSelfReviews of realself.com

After using this site for over a year, it has become clear to me that this website is simply a marketing tool for providers and is not designed to help patients make informed decisions. I no longer trust provider reviews because I have seen bad reviews disappear. I don't like how RealSelf staff comment on people's reviews and photos (either "it looks wonderful!" or a note saying the review was removed because it doesn't meet RealSelf standards). Additionally, I am certain doctors pay to have their name show up as "top doctors near you" so the integrity of the site is compromised in that respect as well. I get an email almost everyday that includes information on various procedures people have had done and the "latest newest greatest thing" - again, this is marketing by plastic surgeons (making sure people feel bad about themselves so they will pay to have another procedure). Lastly, I think the reviews are skewed toward good results. I have personal experience with ending up with horrendous results from doctors who have a 4.8 - 5 rating on RealSelf. This site seems to essentially be designed for providers to market themselves and as a tool to "vet" patients who are willing to leave a bad review.

Would like easier access to pics

I like to see the results of other women.

Easy access and accurate information

Good information and real patient feedback/testimonials. Thank you!

I love to see real stories and real patients results and experiences. I also love to see the pros and cons of new cosmetic procedures- I believe them to be unbiased. Whereas the clinic that offers the treatments are just pushing the treatments or perhaps not aware of problems that some are reporting. I like the feature that I can save results and look up the Dr who did it. It’s a great way to have inspiration photos that are not just photoshop . The only con to me is that sometimes the site is hard to navigate or hard to find doctors or treatments.

Really helpful to see others experiences and get information.

RealSelf provides a really valuable service, allowing the public to review a doctor's work, both from patient reviews and pics of their past work. I'm a fan of cosmetic work, don't see it as any different than getting my hair done, simply personal grooming in my view. My disappointment is that (1) reviews are most often showering the doctor and staff with compliments on their demeanor more than the work results. (2) No matter what RealSelf states, it makes no sense why I don't see more critical or even mediocre reviews. Is it possible that 99.9% of patients are ecstatic vs more critical about what could have been done better, what was overdone or underdone, what they wish they hadn't done, etc. Makes no sense, there is no way statistically that there aren't more critical reviews. So I call B.S. on RealSelf’s claims about not “censoring” any reviews, well ya, they just don’t post them at all, so no need to censor the content. (3) Not actually RealSelf, but somehow, photos of a doctor's work are not reliable. I've seen multiple examples of the same photo/patient used across multiple doctors! They know viewers assume pics are those of the doctor’s work. The excuse is bound to be that they are not trying to pretend the photos represent their work, only what cosmetic procedures can produce. Shouldn’t RealSelf make this abundantly clear? Therefore, 3 stars for judging the authenticity of what you see and read on RealSelf. I've used RealSelf for many years and do appreciate the service. Just have more work to do to build credibility.