Can You Believe What Cosmetic Treatment Companies Will do to Fake Their Reputation?

If a treatment works, why do treatment providers write fake testimonials?

RealSelf.com exists so consumers can have an honest conversation about anti-aging and cosmetic treatments and products. It pains me to see treatment providers write fake patient testimonials.

To help catch fakes, we keep track of the source of each comment, review and vote by saving the IP address of the sender. Case in point: when we looked into it recently, we found that a large number of positive feedback about LipoDissolve were coming from the same IP address. That was the same address that sent comments where the user identified herself as a Fig employee. Rather than simply delete the suspect comments, we decided to identify comments that came from Fig's network.

We've seen similar behavior from other companies, and we hope revealing the source of fake reviews or comments will show our commitment to an honest, unbiased discussion.

We want companies to participate as long as they are honest AND identify themselves. That’s why we’ve created a way for industry professionals to share their views and answer consumer questions. It’s great to see Dr. Crutchfield mention his success rate with LipoDissolve and how he starts with a test area to avoid overselling. Another doctor explains that LipoDissolve formulas are a type of Mesotherapy that varies by doctor (unlike an FDA approved product like Botox), so getting an experienced provider is very important. Open discussion like this helps patients understand the treatment better and go in with reasonable expectations.

If you’re a treatment provider, please do the right thing and identify yourself instead of posing as a patient. Even better, contact us and we'll set up a free professional profile on RealSelf so you can get free publicity for your great tips and insights.

- Eric at RealSelf.com