RealSelf for business

Top review site for cosmetic procedures.

Claim or add your listing Visit realself.com

Cost to list: Free + paid; Free listing, paid upgrades
Approval: Not stated
Shows up in searches for: 1 business type; Best #6, plastic surgeons
Popularity: Tranco #36,158; #517 of 1,712 directory sites
Countries: Worldwide · US

Not established yet: whether links are dofollow. We leave gaps blank rather than guess. Checked Oct 20, 2026 · 4 sources

Is RealSelf worth it?

Our reading of the measured data, not a score.

Secondary

A secondary listing, with little measured reach in Google.

RealSelf made Google's top 10 in 1 of the 12 buyer searches we ran for the 3 business types it accepts. It didn't show up for dermatologists and med spas. A basic listing is free; paid options are sold on top.

What works

Showed up in Google for plastic surgeons, as high as #6
The basic listing is free

Watch out for

Not in Google's top 10 for dermatologists and med spas (0 of 8 searches)
Paid upgrades are sold on top of the free listing

Measured fit, by business type

How often RealSelf made Google's top 10 in our US buyer searches for the types it accepts.

Plastic surgeons 1/4

Some · best #6
Dermatologists 0/4

Not seen
Med spas 0/4

Not seen

See every search result →

Where RealSelf shows up when people search

We ran 399 real buyer searches (Google US, desktop) for 100 business types on Oct 20, 2026 and recorded which directories made the organic top 10. Local packs and ads are not counted.

RealSelf accepts 3 business types we measure. Here is every one, with what Google showed instead, so you can see where a listing would and wouldn't be found.

Plastic surgeons

1/4

RealSelf ranked as high as #6 in 1 of these searches. Directories of any kind held 11% of the top-10 spots.

Directories

ASPS Find a Surgeon 2/4, Yelp 1/4

Other sites

eyelidsurgerylouisville.com, mdmarion.com, portlandplasticsurgerygroup.com

Searches: “plastic surgeon portland or”, “best plastic surgeons in salt lake city”, “plastic surgeon pittsburgh”, “top rated plastic surgeons louisville ky” result
Dermatologists

0/4

Not in the top 10 of any of these searches. Directories of any kind held 12% of the top-10 spots.

Directories

Zocdoc 2/4, Instagram 1/4, Yelp 1/4

Other sites

lasvegasdermatology.com, richmonddermatology.com, signaturedermatology.com

Searches: “dermatologist boston ma”, “best dermatologists in columbus”, “dermatologist las vegas”, “top rated dermatologists richmond va”
Med spas

0/4

Not in the top 10 of any of these searches. Directories of any kind held 47% of the top-10 spots.

Directories

Yelp 3/4, Instagram 2/4, Facebook Pages 1/4

Other sites

destinationaesthetics.com, edenwellnesskc.com, facetofacespa.com

Searches: “med spa miami fl”, “best med spas in kansas city”, “med spa sacramento”, “top rated med spas omaha ne”

Bars show the searches where it made the organic top 10. "Directories" lists the tracked directories that did rank for the same searches, with their hit count. How we measure

What RealSelf costs and who can list

As stated on RealSelf's own pages or reported by a named source. Checked Oct 20, 2026.

Who can list: Dermatologists
Med spas
Plastic surgeons

Census audience: cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists, med spas · Worldwide, United States
Pricing: Free + paid options

Claiming a profile is free; paid advertising/Verified-related options not priced publicly.
Approval: Not stated. Claim via RealSelf; a free profile "can take up to four business days to set up". Listing limited to credentialed providers; Verified badge has extra requirements (4+ star rating, board certification, license re-checked every 3 months).
Requirements: Specialists: active MD/DO license and board certification/eligibility in the specialty; aesthetic treatments open to MD, DO, APRN, RN, PA-C under specific rules; dentists (DMD/DDS) for aesthetic dentistry.
Note: Provider profile pages returned "Access has been denied"; link rel not inspected.
Sources: realself.com/dr/claimprofile
realself.com/professionals/policies/criteria
realself.com/company/standards
realself.com

Not established: link attribute (treat links as nofollow until you see the live profile). Prices and rules change; the linked pages are the authority.

How to add your business to RealSelf

1
Prepare your details

RealSelf asks for: Specialists: active MD/DO license and board certification/eligibility in the specialty; aesthetic treatments open to MD, DO, APRN, RN, PA-C under specific rules; dentists (DMD/DDS) for aesthetic dentistry.
- Business name, address and phone written exactly as on your Google Business Profile and website
- Primary category, plus the services you actually offer
- Opening hours, service area and website URL
- Real photos: storefront or vehicle, team, finished work
- Access to the business phone or email, in case it verifies ownership
- A way to ask real customers for reviews (never buy them)
Our standard checklist for this kind of site (industry directory), not a list published by RealSelf.
2

Open the claim page
realself.com/dr/claimprofile
3

Approval: not stated

Claim via RealSelf; a free profile "can take up to four business days to set up". Listing limited to credentialed providers; Verified badge has extra requirements (4+ star rating, board certification, license re-checked every 3 months).
4

Check the watch-outs

2 things to know before you claim.

RealSelf alternatives

Ranked by the same evidence: Google top-10 appearances for the business types RealSelf serves, then audience fit, then Tranco popularity.

Questions about RealSelf

Is RealSelf worth it for a business?

A secondary listing, with little measured reach in Google. RealSelf made Google's top 10 in 1 of the 12 buyer searches we ran for the 3 business types it accepts. It didn't show up for dermatologists and med spas. A basic listing is free; paid options are sold on top. This is our reading of the measured data.

How much does a RealSelf listing cost?

Free + paid options. What we found: Claiming a profile is free; paid advertising/Verified-related options not priced publicly.. Checked Oct 20, 2026.

Is a link from RealSelf dofollow?

Unknown. We haven't tested RealSelf's link attribute and found no reliable report. Treat it as nofollow until you see the live profile.

How do I add my business to RealSelf?

Start at realself.com/dr/claimprofile. Approval: not stated (Claim via RealSelf; a free profile "can take up to four business days to set up". Listing limited to credentialed providers; Verified badge has extra requirements (4+ star rating, board certification, license re-checked every 3 months).). Have your details ready first (see "How to list" above).

What are the best RealSelf alternatives?

Ranked by the same evidence: Yelp, ASPS Find a Surgeon, and Zocdoc. The full list of 8 is above, with the searches each one appeared in.

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