How do patients choose an aesthetic practitioner, and what do they check?

Who this is for

This is for the physician or medical professional who owns a plastic surgery practice, dermatology practice, or med spa, whether physician, nurse, physician assistant, or other clinician. It is also for the operations lead who runs the website, social media accounts, and review requests, and so decides what a new patient sees first.

What we found

In a 2026 UK survey of people who had seen a practitioner, 36% of those seeking non-surgical cosmetic treatment said 5-star reviews influenced where they booked, and 29% said social media posts did. Few checked official sources. Across the whole survey, which covered non-surgical aesthetic treatment, therapy, and private ultrasound, only 16.5% had used a verified source, such as a government-backed register, before booking.^1,2

Surgery patients tell a different story. In a Plastic Surgery survey of 111 patients, 8.3% identified their surgeon through online reviews, and 77% regarded reviews as both accurate and important. A study of 615 online reviews of ear surgery found a positive first consultation and physician credentials named even more often than online reviews as reasons for choosing a surgeon. Results photos weigh with patients too: in a 2023 US survey, 70% of people who had aesthetic procedures said it was important that a provider show before-and-after photos. UK advertising rules treat each of those photos as a testimonial, so a practice needs proof that every image in its marketing is genuine. Without that proof, a patient choosing a surgeon may be misled.^3,4,5,6

How many UK patients say reviews and social media posts shaped where they booked?

About a third of UK patients let reviews and social posts guide them. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA), the UK body that oversees health and care regulators, commissioned the 2026 survey, which polled 1,000 UK adults who had used a practitioner. Aesthetic Medicine, a UK trade magazine, reported the results. Among people seeking non-surgical cosmetic treatment, 29% said results photos or testimonials on social media influenced their booking. More than a third (36%) said 5-star ratings swayed them.^1,2

What did ear surgery reviewers and surgery patients weigh when picking a surgeon?

The consultation came first, credentials second, and online reviews third. That is the order in a 2026 study published in Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction, a peer-reviewed journal. It read 615 online reviews of otoplasty (surgery to reshape the ears). As reasons for choosing a surgeon, it reports a positive first consultation at 34.4%, physician credentials at 24.8%, and online reviews at 21.6%. Referral by another physician and referral by a previous patient were each at 5.6%.⁴

Reviews may often confirm a choice a patient has already made. A 2026 paper in Plastic Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal, surveyed 111 adults who had plastic surgery on how they found and judged their surgeon. Its abstract reports that 8.3% identified their surgeon through online reviews, while 45% said they researched their surgeon before the visit. The same abstract shows 77% regarded online reviews as both accurate and important.³ We read these data together as a sign that some patients use reviews to check a surgeon they found another way - not as the primary method for decision-making or discovery.

Medical Economics, a trade publication for physicians, reported a poll of nearly 1,000 adults by rater8, a reputation management company. Of those polled, 55% said they had walked away from at least one physician because of what they read online. The rater8 2026 Patient Choice Report puts the same share a year earlier at 40%.⁷ For more about the number of Google reviews a typical plastic surgery practice has, see review benchmarks.

The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), a surgeons' society, surveyed its members in December 2024. According to 30% of members, finding the right surgeon is one of their patients' top concerns, along with cost and recovery time.⁸

How much do before-and-after photos and a surgeon's social media account influence patients?

Most respondents to a 2023 survey wanted providers to show before-and-after photos, and some were swayed by a provider's social media presence. The survey, published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the journal of The Aesthetic Society, polled 651 US adults who had undergone aesthetic procedures. Of those, 70% said it was important that a provider show before-and-after photos on social media, and 41% said a provider's social media presence had a positive impact on them.⁵

A 2017 study from the same journal drew a facelift group from a university. It ranked testimonials as most important (33.9%). Photos followed (31.6%), then reputation (18.2%), according to the study's abstract.⁹

RxPhoto (by PatientNow), which makes clinical photography software for practices, ran its own poll on galleries. It found that 42.9% of prospective patients rank results galleries as their top priority when looking for a practice. Most are firm. Another 74.8% said they would not consider a practice without a gallery.¹⁰

A 2025 experiment in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a Springer journal, showed 1,777 respondents Instagram-style posts from surgeons. Respondents rated each surgeon's competence, their likelihood of making a referral, and their willingness to visit the surgeon's profile. Neither surgeon ethnicity nor gender significantly affected those scores.¹¹

What do UK advertising rules require of before-and-after photos and testimonials?

Every image needs proof behind it. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK's advertising regulator, and with the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which writes the UK advertising code, it regards a patient's results photo as a testimonial. Marketers should meet rules 3.47 to 3.50 and 13.1 of the CAP Code. In the regulator's words, testimonials not supported by trials "do not constitute adequate substantiation." Keep signed and dated proof. The proof should show the photos are genuine and have not been manipulated.⁶ For more about the American rules, see our pieces on before‑and‑after ads and on review rewards.

Three things we would try in your practice. First, put your credentials beside your reviews, on your Google profile, and in your social bios. Otoplasty reviewers named credentials more often than reviews, which makes this a fair test of whether credentials deserve top billing in your profiles. Second, the otoplasty study's authors suggest surgeons earn trust and make patients feel looked after across treatment, not just on the primary surgical result. The first consultation led those reviewers' reasons, so weigh whether more of your staff time in consultations and after-care might improve your patient experience/satisfaction reviews. Third, ask each new patient what made them book: a review, a post, a referral, or the consultation, and run analytics. Their answers show whether your patients look more like the UK survey or the ear surgery reviewers, and thus where your marketing budget goes.

About this review

We read the sources listed below in October 2026: two trade press reports of one UK survey, five peer-reviewed studies, one ASA guidance page, one surgeons' society survey release, and two vendor pages. The Plastic Surgery study and the 2017 Aesthetic Surgery Journal study were read in their abstracts. No number here combines data points from two publishers: each stays with the source that reported it.

Two Aesthetic Medicine reports described the PSA poll of 1,000 UK adults in 2026. The peer-reviewed studies cover 111 plastic surgery patients and 615 reviews of ear surgery. They also cover 1,777 respondents rating surgeons' posts, a 2023 poll of 651 respondents, and a 2017 facelift group. The rater8 poll covers nearly 1,000 adults choosing physicians of all kinds. The ASA page sets UK advertising rules. The AAFPRS release reports a December 2024 member survey.

Fractional Aesthetics is a growth strategy practice for aesthetic medical businesses.