If you have patients who express interest in cosmetic procedures, and especially if you are a cosmetic dermatologist or a plastic surgeon, you might want to familiarize yourself with RealSelf.com. Founded in 2006, RealSelf is an online community for learning and sharing information about cosmetic surgery, dermatology, dentistry, and other elective treatments. In 2013, the site had 36 million unique visitors, and it is expected to grow.
Why might RealSelf be relevant for you? Simply put, it’s another channel to market you and your practice. It works by allowing physicians to answer users’ questions about cosmetic procedures ranging from rhinoplasty and liposuction to tattoo removal and Botox. Over time, your participation can lead to new consultations at your practice.
To ensure credibility, physicians must be board-certified in order to join RealSelf’s physician community. There is an element of game mechanics: The more active the physician, the more exposure his or her profile and practice receives. Similarly, paid subscriptions lead to more exposure than free subscriptions (more on this later.) Although this model does not appeal to some physicians, many of them do like the platform, and see it as a way to build a reputation as an expert and to market their practices.
Unlike doctor review sites that focus on the physician, RealSelf focuses on the procedure. For each procedure, users will find actual patient reviews and before and after photos, as well as Q&A’s with board-certified physicians. Users will also find licensed physicians in their area as well as the average cost for the procedure. RealSelf believes that patients value transparency, and including prices creates transparency.
Since most patients genuinely want to help other patients make informed medical decisions, the reviews tend to be thoughtful and thorough, and many of them contain multiple before-and-after photos. As a physician perusing the patient reviews, you’ll start to notice that most of them are reasonable. For example, customer satisfaction with laser treatment for melasma was 51%, whereas satisfaction for laser treatment for rosacea was 80%.
Patients and prospective patients are flocking to the site because it allows them to share their experiences, interact with other patients, and gain access to physician experts in the field. Many patients have difficulty making decisions about cosmetic procedures; RealSelf aims to alleviate their fears and help them "make confident health and beauty decisions." If a prospective patient wants to see a video of tattoo removal or Botox injections, he or she can. If a patient wants to ask physicians their opinions, he or she can. According to RealSelf, physicians have answered over 500,000 questions on the site.
Of course, all this isn’t free for physicians. RealSelf is a business. They have a tiered membership – free, pro, and spotlight. To obtain free membership, you simply visit the site and follow the prompts to "claim your profile." Once your profile is completed, you will have access to a "doctor advisor" who can help you "optimize your visibility on the site." Both "pro" and "spotlight" offer additional benefits, such as integrating patient reviews on your practice website, promotions on Facebook and Twitter, extended directory listings, and exposure in your local area. RealSelf does not discuss costs of membership until you have claimed your profile.
Only you can determine if RealSelf is beneficial to you and your practice. If, for example, you’re not looking for new patients, then you might find it unnecessary. But at the very least, you’ll know what RealSelf is the next time a fellow cosmetic physician brings it up at a conference. And it’s never a bad idea to be familiar with current social technologies that may affect your livelihood.
If you’ve used RealSelf, let us know what you think. For more information, visit RealSelf.com.
Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in RealSelf and am not an active member.
Dr. Benabio is a partner physician in the department of dermatology of the Southern California Permanente Group in San Diego and a volunteer clinical assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Benabio is @Dermdoc on Twitter.