Researching the best plastic surgeon for your procedure can feel like taking on a second job. Credentials count for a lot, as do before and after photos (and, FYI, here’s how to spot fakes). Reviews are also crucial when you’re making a short list of who’s worth even springing for the consultation fee for. After all, who better to tell you how skilled a surgeon is than someone who’s over the moon with their work—or wishes they’d never set foot in their office?
So-so and negative reviews are just as important for guiding a decision as positive ones are. If multiple people say they’re not happy with their breast augmentation from a particular surgeon, then you might want to steer clear.
There’s a misperception that RealSelf takes down negative reviews. In fact, there are only two reasons any RealSelf review gets removed: it violates our Terms of Service, or the reviewer asks to have it taken down. So when you’re ready to post about your own experience, it’s best to take your time and make sure you’re fully comfortable with the words and photos you’re sharing.
There’s an art to writing a helpful review. Straightforward, short reviews of doctors and practices are fine, but the best reviews are those that give people insight into the full experience.
It can be hard to put into words how you feel after a successful awake facelift—or if you suspect you’ve gotten a botched laser treatment—and you might not realize that you’re violating our Terms of Service or simply leaving out key context.
So here’s what you need to know to make your review great—even if you didn’t have five-star results.
Do: Remain anonymous if you wish, but include personal details
Many people include their age, but sharing skin tone, height, weight, medical conditions, number of pregnancies, and other details can help others suss out what kind of results they can expect for themselves, according to Sharon, RealSelf’s review moderation manager.
“It’s easy to forget these things because they’re such a part of who we are, but they influence so much about your procedure and results,” she says. “For example, a tummy tuck can be very different, depending on whether you’ve been pregnant.”
Don’t: Forget to mention if you had multiple procedures done
Even though RealSelf only allows you to review one procedure at a time, if you got multiple done in a single day—say, a facelift, a lip lift, and an eyelid surgery—mention all of them in your review. Otherwise, people may assume that a facelift changes your eye shape when they’re examining the before and after photos.
Context about the treatment you received is also key. If you got a facelift, what type of facelift did you get? If you got a BBL, what areas did the doctor perform liposuction on, and how many cc did you get on each side?
Do: Share the cost of your treatment
Cost can be a limiting factor when you’re researching a certain surgeon or procedure, and it can be frustratingly hard to come by reliable information before you’ve had a formal consultation.
That’s why including the price tag can be especially helpful for potential patients in the research stage. Even though every case is different—and quotes can vary—the amount you paid can still serve as a critical ballpark number for other people. The cost data in RealSelf reviews gets rolled up into the averages you see across our site, so the info you provide helps make it more accurate.
For instance, in this review, a RealSelf member shared that she paid $17,000 for her facelift with Newport, California–based facial plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Fink—and loved the results. “It is now 10 weeks after my procedure and I couldn’t be happier,” she adds.
Don’t: Make personal attacks
Surgery can be emotional and a less-than-stellar experience—whether due to a cold bedside manner, a lack of follow-up, or results you don’t love—can be downright upsetting. But it’s best to avoid name-calling. “Stick to facts instead of ad hominem attacks,” says Sharon. “Words like ‘butcher’ or ‘quack’ might convey how you feel, but they won’t give a reader information about what happened.”
Instead, discuss what the provider did that upset you. Did they not communicate well? Write off your concerns about scarring? Those details can be much more helpful to readers and, as Sharon puts it, make a review more trustworthy and influential.
Here’s an example of a thorough, clear, and helpful negative review: “A quick summary: Communication with [the doctor] is limited and difficult. She has a team of people that create barriers to patients communicating with her directly. In the moments when I did communicate with her directly, she seemed focused on protecting herself and her time rather than actually listening to my issue and helping me. After my procedure, she was dismissive of my concerns and unwilling to take responsibility for the unsatisfactory results. Overall she lacks professionalism, accountability, and empathy. And she does not make up for it in surgical skill. See below for more details on my experience.”
Do: Be honest about your downtime and recovery
Recovery guidelines are an estimated timeline, not a hard-and-fast rule—and some doctors say that certain techniques, surgical or otherwise, can reduce that downtime (or speed up recovery). But good reviews are realistic and transparent about the recovery time.
Take this reviewer, who shared her experience every two months following her lip lift until she reached the six-month mark. “My last update I was really happy with how things were healing but my smile was still so odd and stiff. Well now I am at 4 months post surgery and my smile is about 95% back to normal! I am really really happy,” she wrote. That can help people decide whether they have the time for a given procedure.
Don’t: Share a review if you have a conflict of interest
You may have their best interests at heart, but if you work for a practice or are a family member or friend of the doctor, your review won’t be accepted. There’s a built-in bias to your feedback, even if you did have a great experience.
Do: Include clear photos of the treatment area
Imagery can make or break a review. “Photos are the most requested aspect of a review,” says Sharon. Not only can they show the before and after of a given surgery—ideally with the same lighting and at a similar angle—but they can also reveal what happened in between. “They let you know what kind of scarring to expect, incisions, bruising, and so much more,” she says. “Then you get to the results at the end, and you can decide if it’s worth it.”
We also frequently hear from RealSelf members that reviews without photos seem “fake,” and it’s true that authentic images lend more credibility to the experience.
If privacy is a concern, we get it—which is why there are ways to account for that. For instance, “you can blur or crop identifying features to hide your identity,” says Sharon.
Don’t: Write a review based on hearsay
If someone told you about their terrible filler experience—or, say, you overheard someone talking negatively about a surgeon in a waiting room—then it doesn’t make for a great review or one that will be accepted.
For one, as you might be able to tell by now, your firsthand experience and personal details count for a lot, and you may not have the full scoop if your brother’s girlfriend’s roommate from college had a complication from a given procedure. Or if you heard a rumor, then you might be missing some key context. All told, third-party intel doesn’t make for a helpful or accurate review.
Do: Avoid making criminal accusations
You might throw “highway robbery” around when you’re discussing something with your friends, but when you’re reviewing a procedure from a medical provider, accusing someone of being a “thief” or a “con artist” should go through legal channels. Because of that, we can’t publish this.
Speaking of legal matters: any criminal threats won’t be tolerated on RealSelf, so although they’re very rare, any references to violent or criminal threats are an automatic no-go.
Have questions about our reviews or multistep moderation process? Reach out to Sharon and her team: contactus@realself.com