My results turned out well, but no one should be bullied by a provider

I really dislike having to write this review. I attempted to resolve this since January by speaking with SkinMD’s customer service, but last heard from her in February, when I told her I was unsatisfied and she was pleasant and understanding, and said she would get back to me, but never called back.

Dr. Paul Flashner was inappropriate and unprofessional throughout the experience.
He asked me about my personal life (‘Are you married?’) and I tried to keep it non-personal but politely answered his questions. I told him I was recently single, and that my ex-partner had not shown enough regard for my feelings. The Dr. then told me that feelings don’t matter, and that if I go through life like that, I will make trouble for myself. I felt really uncomfortable and considered walking out right then, but told myself not to take it personally.

He began to make blonde jokes (I have blonde hair) and again, I laughed politely as he told 2 or 3 jokes. I was beginning to feel really uncomfortable and talked nervously, and said something about my jewish heritage. He then began to make JAP (Jewish American Princess) jokes, including the following:

“What’s the difference between a JAP and jello? The jello jiggles when you eat it.”

This was totally inappropriate for a professional environment. I was in shock and didn’t know what to do. But I told myself, “I’m here for a reason”, and really wanted to get the filler done as I was soon leaving on a trip and had been excited about looking my best.

Then, he asked me what I wanted addressed, and I told him. I had seen many photos online of befores and afters of filler being used to address my concerns (“parentheses lines” around my mouth) and really liked the results and how long it would last. He chose instead to focus on the hollows under my eyes, which I have had my whole life, and while I understand his thinking behind this, the way he *told* me what he was going to do to my face felt pushy. Also, he claimed that the filler would not fix the areas I had concerns about, which was confusing since I had seen so many photos of women with lines exactly like mine who had great results from one syringe of filler.

He began to wipe my face with alcohol and I stopped him- can you explain to me what you are going to do? It was all happening very fast.

When I asked him to explain what he was going to do to my face, he stood back with the needle in his hand, and said, ‘Who is the doctor here, you? Or me?’.

I can only explain the fact that I continued on with the whole thing because I was in shock and too eager to see results for my trip.

He gave me a quick run through of what he’d do and began. He ended up putting the majority of the one syringe of filler into my undereyes, and what was left into the areas I came in to have treated. It was rather painful and at one point I needed to lay down and drink water because I felt faint. Afterwards, I was not offered an ice pack, nor was I offered numbing agents as I have seen elsewhere.

At one point, the Dr. made it a point to mention that he sees hardly any men in his practice, “Because men aren’t obsessed with their looks like women are. They don’t care”.

While I was checking out, I continued to be pleasant- it was over, after all, and I was happy about that. He seemed less pushy now that it was over and I was relieved to be done. He told the receptionist what I had told him in the consult- that I had had a nose job. That was embarrassing but I chose to remain pleasant and showed her photos.

Dr. Flashner then remarked that a member of their staff, who I had consulted with previously about a different procedure, was considering a nose job but that he had given her a ‘liquid nose job’. I responded that I remember her, and she was very pleasant and very pretty.

He rolled his eyes and said, ‘Well, she is now. You should have seen her before we did some procedures.’

Do not go to Dr. Flashner for any procedure. His behavior is inappropriate, unprofessional, and rude. He did not listen to my concerns and I spent $650 and left there with lines still around my mouth, as well as significant bruising. I was not given any aftercare instructions and the process was not explained to me before or after. I had to ask the Dr. in the lobby how long it would last and what I should do.

I am disappointed because of how much money I spent, and because the interactions I had with everyone else at Skin MD were so positive. All of the rest of the staff were professional, friendly, warm, and made me feel really comfortable.

I had a consultation with Olivia previously to discuss a resurfacing procedure that I ultimately decided was not necessary, and she was wonderful. She did not rush me, gave me lots of information, and allowed me to make a decision for myself. The facilities themselves are really nice, clean, and professional as well. I visited both the Newbury street and Shrewsbury locations.

If you do go to SkinMD, book with someone who is not Dr. Flashner. I wish I had, perhaps they would have listened to me and I would not have wasted my money.

I wanted to come back and follow up with my previous review. The results lasted from January through August, so a bit under a year, which justifies the price in my view. I felt like the amount that was injected under my eyes was just right, and while the small amount left for my laugh lines would have been preferable, it did soften them. The bruising took about a week to fade. Seek out an injector who knows how to minimize bruising and/or uses a cannula to inject deeply.

I stand by my review of Dr. Flashner and his behavior, however, and would not return to be treated by him and advise anyone to avoid him as well. My results turned out well, but no one should be bullied by a provider.