RealSelf’s earns a 1.0-star rating from 0 reviews and 22 complaints, showing that the majority of cosmetic procedure patients are dissatisfied with their outcomes.
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RealSelf: A Site of Fake Reviews
I gotta say, I had a pretty bad experience with a surgeon a while back. I was 35 years old and feeling a little tired, you know? I thought maybe some botox or a skin peel would help me look a little more refreshed. But this guy I went to see, he was a real charlatan. He convinced me that I needed a facelift, and I was dumb enough to go along with it.
Well, let me tell you, it was a disaster. He messed up my ear lobes so bad that they're still messed up to this day. And the scars? They're hideous. To make matters worse, I looked exactly the same after the procedure. It was a total waste of time and money.
Anyway, a few years later, I got contacted by RealSelf. They told me that my review was being removed. I was completely baffled. I mean, this post was from years ago. Why would they be taking it down now?
So I did a little digging, and what I found out really surprised me. It turns out that RealSelf has changed a lot since I last used it. Nowadays, they only seem to post positive reviews. And let me tell you, those reviews are fake as hell. They're all just people bragging about how wonderful their experiences were.
Honestly, I can't trust that site anymore. It's just not a reliable source of information. If you're looking for real reviews from real people, you're better off looking somewhere else.
RealSelf Reviews: Buyer Beware of Fake Accounts and Spammy Replies
I recently joined RealSelf to find a doctor for a face lift. I was excited to see that there were quite a few doctors in my area (Los Angeles) that had amazing reviews by happy clients. I reached out to 7 of the most recent patients by 7 doctors to get their opinions.
However, I was disappointed to find out that RealSelf has a reputation for being fake. Out of the 7 patients I messaged, only one reply was from a real patient. The other 6 replies were from office staff trying to sign me up for consultations. I was frustrated that I couldn't get an honest opinion from a real patient.
To make matters worse, the one reply I did get from a patient sounded spammy and didn't address my question. I strongly suspect that her account was fake, too. It's disappointing that RealSelf allows fake accounts to exist on their platform.
I hope that people don't choose a plastic surgeon based solely on the reviews on RealSelf. It's important to do your own research and get opinions from real people, not just fake accounts.
To express my concerns, I posted in the RealSelf forum under a very obvious fake review. However, my post was deleted immediately. It's frustrating that RealSelf doesn't allow honest opinions to be shared on their platform.
Overall, I was disappointed with my experience on RealSelf. I don't recommend using their platform to find a plastic surgeon. It's important to do your own research and get opinions from real people, not just fake accounts.
RealSelf Review: A Shady Website with Fake Reviews and Unreliable Doctor Credentials
RealSelf is a website that claims to help people find the right doctor for their cosmetic needs. However, my experience with RealSelf was not a good one. I found that doctors were putting up tons of their own glowing reviews, written by everybody in the office. It was clear that negative reviews were being removed if the doctor paid for "premium" listings. This made me feel like RealSelf was a huge scam, just like Yelp is, but at least Yelp is no longer so obvious about it.
When I was trying to select between a couple of doctors, I reached out to a few review writers. However, the responses I got were NOT from happy former patients, as their reviews wanted you to believe, but from office coordinators in the doctors' own office! This was very shady and made me question the authenticity of the reviews on RealSelf.
Another issue I found with RealSelf is that they let basic MD's call themselves plastic surgeons, even when they don't even have ANY specialty skills in surgery, let alone plastic surgery credentials. It was shocking to see that even dentists could advertise their Liposuction business on RealSelf without any kind of actual plastic surgery board certification. This made me feel like RealSelf was not a reliable source for finding the right doctor for my cosmetic needs.
Overall, my experience with RealSelf was not a good one. I would not recommend using this website to find a doctor for your cosmetic needs. It is important to do your own research and find a reliable source for reviews and recommendations.
Is RealSelf Legit?
RealSelf earns a trustworthiness rating of 51%
Think twice and be always careful when sharing sensitive information.
The age of RealSelf's domain suggests that they have had sufficient time to establish a reputation as a reliable source of information and services. This can provide reassurance to potential customers seeking quality products or services.
Realself.com has a valid SSL certificate, which indicates that the website is secure and trustworthy. Look for the padlock icon in the browser and the "https" prefix in the URL to confirm that the website is using SSL.
Realself.com has been deemed safe to visit, as it is protected by a cloud-based cybersecurity solution that uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to help protect networks from online threats.
Several positive reviews for RealSelf have been found on various review sites. While this may be a good sign, it is important to approach these reviews with caution and consider the possibility of fake or biased reviews.
We looked up RealSelf and found that the website is receiving a high amount of traffic. This could be a sign of a popular and trustworthy website, but it is still important to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of the site before sharing any personal or financial information
However ComplaintsBoard has detected that:
- RealSelf protects their ownership data, a common and legal practice. However, from our perspective, this lack of transparency can impede trust and accountability, which are essential for establishing a credible and respected business entity.
RealSelf: A Dangerous Game of Deception and Misinformation in Cosmetic Surgery
I gotta say, I was pretty excited when I stumbled upon RealSelf. I was looking to get some work done and I thought, "Hey, what better way to find a good surgeon than to read reviews from people who have actually been there?" So, I started browsing and I found a surgeon who had a ton of five-star reviews. I mean, this guy was practically a rockstar on RealSelf. So, I booked my appointment and I was all set to go.
But then, just a few days before my procedure, I stumbled upon a thread of comments on RealSelf that were not posted under the surgeon's reviews. These comments were from patients who had actually had work done by this surgeon and let me tell you, they were not happy campers. In fact, their operations had been botched and they were left with some serious problems. I was shocked. I mean, how could this be? This guy had all these glowing reviews and yet there were people out there who had been seriously hurt by him.
So, I did some digging and I found out that these negative reviews had actually been deleted by RealSelf. That's right, they were just gone. And it wasn't just this surgeon, either. I found out that there were other surgeons on RealSelf who had negative reviews deleted as well. It was like RealSelf was trying to protect these guys or something.
Needless to say, I cancelled my surgery. I wasn't about to take any chances with a surgeon who had a history of botching operations. But here's the thing: I didn't get my money back. That's right, I had paid 20,000 pounds for this surgery and I didn't get a single penny back. And I'm not the only one, either. There are other people out there who have been burned by RealSelf and the surgeons they promote.
Now, don't get me wrong. RealSelf can be a useful tool for people who are looking to get work done. But you have to be careful. You can't just trust the reviews blindly. There are some serious issues with RealSelf and the way they promote certain surgeons. It's like they're in bed with these guys or something.
I think it's pretty obvious that there are some unhealthy links between RealSelf and cosmetic surgery practitioners. These guys are making a ton of money off of unsuspecting, vulnerable people. And it's not just the money, either. These surgeons are playing with people's lives. They're performing operations that can have serious consequences if they're not done right.
So, what's the solution? Well, I think we need to start holding RealSelf and these surgeons accountable. We need to demand transparency and honesty. We need to make sure that people are getting the information they need to make informed decisions about their health and their bodies. And we need to make sure that these surgeons are held to a higher standard. Because right now, it's the patients who are paying the price. And that's just not right.
RealSelf Reviews: Are They Trustworthy?
I recently used RealSelf to find a Beverly Hills ocular surgeon for a procedure I was interested in. I was impressed by the hundreds of positive reviews that the surgeon had on the site, and I felt confident in my decision to move forward with the surgery. However, as the surgery date approached, I began to notice some negative reviews that had been left by previous patients.
These negative reviews included complaints about poor communication, unsatisfactory results, and even hostile behavior from the surgeon. Despite my reservations, I decided to go ahead with the surgery, but unfortunately, I did experience some of these negative consequences. My results were less than optimal, and when I tried to express my concerns to the surgeon, he became defensive and unresponsive.
To my surprise, I later discovered that the negative reviews that I had seen before my surgery had disappeared from the RealSelf site. I also noticed a pattern in the positive reviews that made me question their legitimacy. It seems that doctors are able to pay for sponsored ads on the site, and they can even have negative reviews removed by claiming that they are fake or violate the terms of the agreement.
As a consumer, I feel that this model is corrupt and unfair. Women, in particular, are being harmed by this system, as they are often the ones seeking out these types of procedures. It's important for people to be able to trust the reviews that they read on sites like RealSelf, and it's concerning to think that doctors may be able to manipulate the system in this way.
Overall, I would caution anyone who is considering using RealSelf to do their research carefully and to take all reviews with a grain of salt. While there are certainly legitimate reviews on the site, it's clear that there are also some issues with the way that the system is set up. As consumers, we need to be vigilant and make sure that we are getting accurate information before making important decisions about our health and well-being.
RealSelf Review: Helpful Resource for Plastic Surgery, but Beware of Biases and Misleading Answers
RealSelf is a website where you can ask questions about plastic surgery and get answers from plastic surgeons. However, it is important to keep in mind that the people who will answer your questions are plastic surgeons, so if you are considering alternative methods to surgery, you may not get a truthful answer.
For example, there was a question about the effectiveness of Volufiline in creams to increase the size or firmness of breasts. Every answer that was given claimed that no creams exist that do this, but that only surgery will accomplish an increase in size or firmness of breasts. Some even claimed that there has been no research that proves it. These answers were entirely misleading because there are studies and cases where Volufiline has caused an increase in adipocytes which lead to an increase in breast size, notably one published on the web by Sederma.
It is important to note that medical practitioners are not immune from recommending only the kind of work they do and denying the efficacy of alternative methods that are aimed at achieving the same thing. Therefore, it is crucial to read the answers, do your research, and then make up your mind.
The only benefit of surgery is that it is quick. However, there are many risks associated with surgery, such as infection, bleeding, and scarring. Additionally, surgery is expensive and may not be covered by insurance. Therefore, it is important to consider all options before making a decision.
Overall, RealSelf can be a helpful resource for those considering plastic surgery. However, it is important to keep in mind that the answers you receive may not always be truthful or unbiased. Therefore, it is crucial to do your own research and make an informed decision.
RealSelf Review: A Helpful Resource for Cosmetic Procedures, But with a Few Frustrations
RealSelf is a website that I used a few years ago when I was getting ready to have a breast augmentation. It was super helpful for me and I think it could be really helpful for anyone who is looking for information about a cosmetic procedure, trying to find a plastic surgeon, or just wants to share their own experience with others. However, I have noticed that the website has gone through a redesign recently and it's not as easy to find information as it used to be.
As a user, all I really want to know is who are all the doctors in my city who perform breast augmentations, what are their prices, and what are their reviews. I also want to be able to find a list of similar questions that other people have asked if I have a question of my own. This information is still available on the website, but it takes a bit more navigating to find what you're looking for now.
There are also some frustrating elements of the user experience on RealSelf. For example, if you submit a question, you can't edit it and it has to be reviewed before it can be asked. I think they should listen to feedback from users and make changes to make the website more user-friendly.
Overall, I still think RealSelf is a great resource for anyone who is interested in cosmetic procedures. It's just not as easy to use as it used to be.
Warning: Bad Experience with Dr. Gary Brownstein from Cherry Hill Cosmetic Surgery - Refused Refund and Poor Customer Service
I had a really bad experience with Dr. Gary Brownstein from www.cherryhillcosmeticsurgery.com. I was really excited to get an upper body lift procedure done, and I paid him $7300.00 for it. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma insitu, which is an early stage of breast cancer, and I had to cancel the procedure. I had to get a lump removed from my breast by an oncologist, and after that, Dr. Brownstein refused to proceed with the upper body lift. He said that my cancellation and other factors cost $7300.00, even though I offered him more money to cover the cancellation.
What's worse is that he won't refund my money, even though I paid in cash and have the receipts to prove it. He wanted a higher fee if I used a credit card or paid by check, so I paid in cash. I feel like he's more interested in my money than my well-being.
I gave him a bad review on realself.com, but he still has five stars on the site. I think the site is fixed. My review was up for one week and then it was pulled. I don't think that's fair.
If you want more information about this doctor, feel free to contact me. I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through.
Fake reviews to consumers. They delete true reviews.
My friends and family can’t find my reviews, pictures, and the healing process of my surgical procedure. Over the past twelve weeks, I have updated several times to share my experience with Dr. Restifo in Orange CT. My surgery hasn’t been 100% great! I can only see my reviews when I log in from my phone. I can’t find my reviews/pictures from any other computer.
His reviews are ***** five stars, and that’s the main reason I hired him to do the procedure. That is not the case here! My review isn’t showing! How come I can only read the reviews and see the pictures when I log in to my profile? Dodgy, no?
Desired outcome: Take the website down and providers who isn't showing real and true reviews.
False verification
Realself has a surgeon listed as "verified" who is currently under review by his licensing board for malpractice. There are also videos of him on Instagram speaking sexually about patients and a video of a med tech attempting to perform a surgical procedure while this doctor watches. As a nurse I can promise you that this is not only illegal but unethical. This doctor is Arian Mowlavi and his clinic is Dr. Laguna in Laguna Beach California.
Desired outcome: This surgeon needs to be removed from this website. You have a duty to inform your clients and by having him "verified" you are promoting harm and sexual harassment.
Aiding and Abetting Evil
This site is a health hazard to the public. They let surgeons have tons of fake glowing 5 star reviews up and then remove the authentic ones with life destroying results or push them to the bottom of the algorithm so all you see first are the good ones. I found my surgeon on realself researching rhinoplasty. He disfigured me and was an arrogant dismissive [censored] afterwards. I couldn't believe it because He had nothing but 5 star reviews on realself. I started looking closer and realized the majority of them have no pictures and the account was made the same day the review was posted. They all sound exactly the same talking about how unbelievably perfect the results are, what a genius God-like being the surgeon is, and how beautiful the office is. BARF!
Biased reviews
I found a plastic surgeon who had stellar reviews on their site. I got botched completely. I posted lots of before/after pictures and a truthful review. After a couple of weeks Realself remover my review and blocked my account. No explanation ever given. The dr has very bad ratings on yelp but the bad reviews on google and Realself do not stay. That is because Realself and google can be paid off, yelp cannot. I am spending 57, 000 to fix what this dr did to have surgery in the summer. Yet Realself banned my reviews with pictures. They are crooks. Do not trust them!
Forum
I have provided the company With solid proof of lies of the patients- one patient there is proof she has blackmailed the surgeon and has written on line that the surgeon has had his Leience removed due to too many court cases- this is not true and so unfair to have on line' they reply saying that they check there own code of conduct but they do not. Even when evidence is given off lies from patients reviews are not deleted. They lie to everyone monitoring them that they have check everything out
When they have not
I can give evidence of all that I am stating proofing blackmail and libellous posts that are not investigated or removed
beware!
I know how their website works.
The more you pay them, the better your rating and reviews are. Yes, everything can be bought, even a great reputation. Bad reviews are blocked or may be just deleted if they don't like it. Nobody needs your truth.
So I'm not sure you can trust these guys because lots of reviews are very unbiased and have nothing to do with real situations that occur when you're dealing with doctors.
You decide.
unethical
I wrote a negative review on a doctor who botched me and even tho it is the most recent it appeared 3 from the last of the reviews. Many of them were 6 years or older yet mine was 9 days you would think it would be at the top. I read many of the same scenarios. My conclusion? Site is bias and sides with the butchering doctors. I wouldnt trust this site, I used this site to find the doctor because they rated him so high. A class action lawsuit should be filed against this company
keeping my account hostage
This company publishes doctors profiles and I joined their "free " listing. When I discovered the true nature of their business in which they coax doctors to pay them money to become "PRO' or "Dr Spotlight" listings, I asked that they delete my profile ... but they REFUSED. I also found false reviews posted by patients or competitors on my "free" profile, and the website refused to remove them... inspite of all the evidence I submitted. It seems they just take the patient's (or false impersonator's) word for what they write, and disregard all other evidence provided that shows that these posts are FAKE and DEFAMATORY, including medical records, hospital reports, patient photographs, screenshots of communication with the patient...etc. Apparently they do not care that the "free listing" doctor's reputation gets trashed in the meantime. By publishing an accusation, they are promoting that accusation, and sharing in inflicting damage on the "accused", so they are party to that accusation.
In view of their policy, I requested closure of my account, and that they refrain from accepting any more reviews and delete the old ones. In a flagrant violation of the Privacy Act, they refused! It was MY profile, but suddenly they decided it was "Public Property!" and refused to delete it.
Of course the more Doctor accounts they have, the better their website will attract patients, the more ads they will get, and the higher the chance of making the doctors pay to get in the "spotlight" ...BUT they can't force a doctor to have his profile posted!. This infringes on the privacy and constitutional rights of doctors.
Please find attached screenshots of the emails exchanged with their staff, in which they flatly refused to delete my profile or stop accepting any reviews on my practice.
removed my review
I was not satisfied with the result so I left a negative review and RealSelf removed it.
Then I left another reviews and the same thing happened.
Let me start from the very beginning! Before I decided to use RealSelf I read the reviews and because there was only positive feedback I thought that they were reliable and professional company. But they were not. And when I tried to share my experience with others they simply removed everything. They leave only positive reviews or there is a huge possibility that all good reviews are written by them.
I want to warn everyone about RealSelf, they are highly unprofessional, horrible and unreliable! Avoid them!
covering up criminal doctors
(I have shared his post elsewhere hoping I can perhaps save someone's life since being blocked from RealSelf)
I continuously tried to warn other prospective patients about a doctor Gavin M. Dry, listed with high reviews who is a convicted drug addict and has killed a patient. RealSelf continuously deletes my posts. They contain no profanity, simply asking people to read this doctors convictions and listing them as I have below. DO NOT TRUST THIS SITE
https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/kirkland-plastic-surgeon-agrees-pay-125000-settle-dea-drug-diversion-claims
http://komonews.com/archive/dr-still-practicing-after-writing-hundreds-of-fake-prescriptions
http://www.skyvalleychronicle.com/FEATURE-NEWS/SEATTLE-AREA-TV-PERSONALITY-PLASTIC-SURGEON-AGREES-TO-PAY-FINE-TO-SETTLE-DEA-DRUG-DIVERSION-CLAIMS-1685500
http://kboi2.com/news/local/washington-state-takes-action-against-two-plastic-surgeons
http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1500/NewsReleases/2015/15-179-DisciplineNewsRelease.pdf
my review was deleted!
I had a very bad experience with RealSelf so I decided to leave a honest review to warn other people, but these scam artists deleted it right away! You'll see only positive feedback on their site, because they delete everything negative people post! That is not right! Many people get scammed and fooled because they think that RealSelf is a reliable company! When I contacted them and asked about my review they said it was not correct and that there were mistakes and etc.! Liars! They deleted it because there was truth about how dishonest and unprofessional they really are!
I'd like to hear a bit more about this. In particular the details of what you were posting and the resulting experience details.
scam site!
A couple of months ago, I posted a detailed review of a very bad doctor. It immediately attracted people who were considering the same doctor. Several weeks later the review was deleted and my account was banned. RealSelf customer service never contacted me and explained the reason. Only later I found out that the doctor I wrote the review about contacted them, and paid some money for deleting the review. Don't trust this website! There you will find only positive reviews, which are written by their employees. All the negative ones get deleted. What a scam site!
Hi the same thing happened to me! I had reviews with pictures and they banned my account and deleted my review! I am sure the dr paid them off. How did you get proof that the dr paid them off?
I'm curious if you have anything verifiable about the doctor making requests for the review to be removed and their compliance. If you do I'd love to here more. If not I'd still love to hear the path chain that led to this conclusion.
Overview of RealSelf complaint handling
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RealSelf Contacts
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RealSelf emailscontactus@realself.com100%Confidence score: 100%Supportpress@realself.com98%Confidence score: 98%Communicationmedia@realself.com97%Confidence score: 97%Communication
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RealSelf address83 South King Street, Suite 800, Seattle, Washington, 98104, United States
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RealSelf social media
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Checked and verified by Nick This contact information is personally checked and verified by the ComplaintsBoard representative. Learn moreJun 30, 2025
- View all RealSelf contacts
Recent comments about RealSelf company
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