Dermatology reviews and reputation: why derm ratings trail other specialties and how to lift yours safely
US dermatology practices have a reputation gap. In our study of 1,330 practices across 20 metros, the average Google rating was 4.62, the lowest of the 9 specialties we benchmark. The fix is rarely about the dermatologist. It is about access, phones, billing and the front desk, plus a steady, honest process for asking every patient for a review and replying to every review without disclosing anything about their care.
- Dermatology averaged 4.62 stars on Google across 1,330 practices, against 4.87 for med spas and 4.89 for physical therapy clinics in the same 20 metros.
- The median practice had 125 reviews; 31.1% had fewer than 50.
- Published research on dermatology reviews found complaints often center on staff, scheduling, cleanliness and insurance, not the physician.
- Ask every patient, never offer incentives and never filter who gets asked. The FTC's review rule has applied since October 21, 2024.
- Reply to every review without confirming the person is a patient. HHS settled with a provider for $30,000 over review replies that disclosed patient information.
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Dermatology has the lowest average Google rating of 9 specialties
Short answer: across 1,330 US dermatology practices in 20 metros, the average Google rating was 4.62, the lowest of the 9 specialties in our healthcare Google benchmarks (Google Business Profile data collected September 2026).
| Specialty | Average rating | Median reviews | Practices (n) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dermatology | 4.62 | 125 | 1,330 |
| Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery | 4.74 | 107 | 874 |
| Hair Restoration | 4.74 | 33 | 319 |
| Chiropractic | 4.77 | 125 | 1,035 |
| Dental | 4.79 | 319.5 | 2,318 |
| Medical Weight Loss | 4.79 | 42 | 632 |
| IV Therapy & Wellness | 4.81 | 52 | 1,535 |
| Med Spa | 4.87 | 148 | 555 |
| Physical Therapy | 4.89 | 122 | 854 |
A gap of a quarter of a star sounds small. On a Google results page it isn't. A cosmetic patient comparing a dermatology practice at 4.5 with a med spa at 4.9 down the road sees the difference immediately, and a medical patient choosing between two in-network dermatologists sees both ratings side by side in the map results.
How reviews are distributed
- Median review count: 125.
- Fewer than 50 reviews: 31.1%. 50 to 199: 30.2%. 200 to 499: 19%. 500 or more: 19.7%.
- Weekend hours listed: 27.5% (access is one of the root causes discussed below).
City spread
Ratings vary by metro. Lowest averages: Seattle 4.31 (n=63), Boston 4.35 (n=69), Chicago 4.5 (n=72). Highest: Austin 4.81 (n=66), Scottsdale 4.81 (n=65), Phoenix 4.78 (n=45). Review depth varies even more: the median was 43 in San Diego (n=78) and 513.5 in New York (n=74). Set targets against your own city, using our dermatology benchmarks by city or the Google review benchmark checker.
About the data: aggregates only, no practice is identified, and city figures are shown only where at least 10 practices were found. Our dermatology dataset covers profile metrics (ratings, review counts, website, phone, hours); we don't have dermatology-specific review velocity or theme data, so this guide doesn't quote any.
Why dermatology ratings trail, and what to fix first
Short answer: most bad dermatology reviews describe the experience around the visit, not the medicine. Fix access, phones, billing and front-desk communication before you push for more reviews.
A study published in JAMA Dermatology in 2016 looked at reviews of 45 dermatology practices in Philadelphia, Houston and Seattle. The same practices averaged 3.46 stars on a general consumer review site and 4.72 on a doctor-booking site, and the authors found negative experiences were often driven by staff, scheduling, cleanliness and insurance issues rather than the physician. It is an older and smaller study than ours, but the pattern matches what practice managers tell us.
Access
Long waits for new appointments generate frustration before the patient arrives. A Michigan secret-shopper study found a mean wait of 28.8 days. Offer a cancellation list, triage urgent lesions and add capacity where you can.
Phones
Hold times, voicemail boxes that are full and unreturned calls show up in reviews constantly. Measure answer rate and callback time weekly.
Billing and insurance
Surprise bills for biopsies, pathology or a "cosmetic" line item are a classic one-star trigger. Explain costs before procedures and make the billing contact easy to reach.
Visit experience
Running late without explanation and short, rushed visits. Tell patients when you are behind and make sure they leave knowing the plan.
Selling
Being offered cosmetic treatments during a medical visit can feel like pressure. In our med spa review research, 16.7% of mentions of upselling were negative, and pushy selling is easy to spot in reviews.
Results follow-up
Waiting for biopsy results without hearing back is stressful. Set a callback standard and keep it.
Earning more reviews, within the rules
Short answer: ask every patient, at the right moment, with one tap. Don't pay, don't filter and don't write reviews for anyone.
- Ask everyone. Google's policies prohibit selectively soliciting positive reviews, and the FTC's 2024 rule targets certain review suppression. "Review gating" (asking happy patients for Google reviews and sending unhappy ones to a private form) is out.
- Pick the moment. For medical visits, right after checkout or the same evening. For cosmetic treatments, when results are visible (often one to two weeks later for neurotoxin). For Mohs, after the follow-up, not on surgery day.
- Make it one tap. A direct review link by text or email, with the right consent for texts. A QR code at checkout helps.
- No incentives. Google prohibits them. The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, effective October 21, 2024, bans incentives conditioned on a positive review or particular sentiment and allows civil penalties. The cleanest policy is no incentive at all.
- No staff or family reviews without clear disclosure, and none written by the practice or an agency. Fake and AI-generated reviews are banned under the FTC rule.
- Spread across providers. If you use practitioner profiles, include the right provider's link.
- Track monthly: new reviews, average of new reviews, and the issues they mention.
The step-by-step setup is in our guide to getting more Google reviews.
HIPAA-safe replies to dermatology reviews
Short answer: reply to every review, but never confirm the reviewer is a patient or mention anything about their visit, condition, treatment, photos or bill.
This is where practices get into real trouble. In 2023, the HHS Office for Civil Rights announced a $30,000 settlement with a New Jersey psychiatric practice that had disclosed patients' diagnosis and treatment information in replies to negative online reviews, with a two-year corrective action plan. Dermatology replies are tempting to get specific in ("your biopsy results were sent within the standard window", "you were advised the laser would need three sessions"). Every one of those details is protected health information.
Positive review
"Thank you for taking the time to share this. We're glad you had a good experience with our team."
Negative review
"Thank you for your feedback. We take every concern seriously and would like to talk with you directly. Please call our practice manager at [number]."
Never write
"As we discussed at your appointment...", "Your Mohs procedure...", "Your insurance didn't cover...", "We have no record of you as a patient" (that also discloses).
- Fake or off-topic reviews: flag them through Google's tools. Don't accuse the reviewer publicly.
- Who replies: limit it to trained staff or a vendor under a business associate agreement. Our HIPAA review response guide has fuller templates.
- Threats and gag clauses: don't threaten legal action over honest reviews. The Consumer Review Fairness Act voids contract terms that bar or penalize honest reviews.
Using reviews and testimonials in marketing
Short answer: you can feature reviews, but keep them genuine, representative and, if you are a covered entity using patient stories beyond what the patient posted publicly, authorized.
- Representative: under the FTC Endorsement Guides, testimonials about results are likely to be read as typical. Don't feature only exceptional outcomes without context.
- State rules: some boards regulate testimonials. Texas, for example, requires certain disclosures about a testimonial giver's credentials and compensation under its advertising rules.
- Photos and stories: case stories and before-and-after photos need written authorization. Our dermatology claims compliance guide covers the details.
A 90-day reputation plan
- Month 1: read your last 100 reviews, tag the root causes, fix the top two operational issues and start replying to every review.
- Month 2: launch a compliant ask-everyone request process and practitioner links.
- Month 3: compare your new-review average with your old one, and your rating and count with your city's benchmark.
Reviews also feed your local rankings; see the dermatology SEO guide. Market context is in dermatology marketing statistics 2026 and the US dermatology marketing benchmark report. Ichelon Consulting US runs reputation programs within our dermatology marketing and dermatology services, with city pages for Dallas and Atlanta, and cosmetic dermatology marketing. To compare agencies, see dermatology marketing agencies in the US. More in the US research library and US guides.
Sources
- Ichelon Consulting US: Dermatology Google benchmarks 2026 and healthcare Google benchmarks (9 specialties), Google Business Profile data collected September 2026
- Smith and Lipoff, JAMA Dermatology (2016): evaluation of dermatology practice online reviews
- Huq et al., American Journal of Managed Care (2020): dermatology wait times in Michigan
- 16 CFR Part 465: Use of consumer reviews and testimonials
- FTC: Final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024)
- FTC: Consumer Review Fairness Act, what businesses need to know
- Google Maps user-contributed content policy (incentives, selective solicitation)
- HHS OCR: Agreement with a New Jersey provider that disclosed PHI in response to negative online reviews (June 2023)
- 16 CFR Part 255: FTC Endorsement Guides
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code 164.3: Prohibited acts or omissions in advertising
Note: general marketing information, not legal advice. Confirm your review request and reply process with privacy counsel.
Related pages from the US team
Dermatology Google benchmarks 2026
The full city-by-city dataset behind this guide.
Responding to negative reviews (HIPAA)
Reply templates and what never to say.
How to get more Google reviews
Building a compliant request process.
Dermatology SEO guide
How reviews feed local rankings.
Dermatology claims compliance
Testimonials, photos and claims rules.
Dermatology marketing agencies compared
What to ask an agency about reputation work.
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Common questions
What is the average Google rating for a dermatologist?
In our September 2026 study of 1,330 US dermatology practices across 20 metros, the average Google rating was 4.62 stars, the lowest of the 9 healthcare specialties we benchmark. City averages ranged from 4.31 in Seattle to 4.81 in Austin and Scottsdale.
How many Google reviews does a dermatology practice need?
The median practice in our study had 125 reviews, but it varies sharply by city: the median was 43 in San Diego and 513.5 in New York. Aim to beat the typical count in your own market and keep new reviews arriving every month; recent reviews matter to patients as much as the total.
Why are dermatology ratings lower than other specialties?
We can't prove the cause from profile data alone. Likely contributors include long waits for new appointments, insurance and billing confusion, high patient volumes and short visits. Published research on dermatology reviews found negative experiences were often driven by staff, scheduling, cleanliness and insurance rather than the physician.
How should a dermatologist respond to a negative review?
Thank the reviewer, don't confirm they are a patient or mention any detail of their visit, condition or treatment, and invite them to contact the practice manager directly. Fix the underlying issue offline. If the review is fake or violates Google's policies, flag it through Google rather than arguing publicly.
Can we offer a discount or gift card for reviews?
No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews, and the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials bans incentives conditioned on a positive review or particular sentiment. The safest approach is no incentive at all, and asking every patient, not only the happy ones.
Is it legal to ask patients to remove negative reviews?
You can resolve a complaint and let the patient decide whether to update their review. You cannot pressure or threaten them, and the Consumer Review Fairness Act makes contract terms that bar or penalize honest reviews void. The FTC's review rule also prohibits certain review suppression practices.
Should each dermatologist have their own Google profile and reviews?
Google allows profiles for public-facing practitioners. Individual profiles let patients review specific providers and can help name searches. The practice profile remains the main one for most new patients, so keep requests flowing to both.
A note on this guide: it explains marketing practice, not legal advice. Rules on privacy, advertising and insurance change and vary by state, so confirm anything compliance-related with your own counsel.
Want to know where your rating stands against local dermatologists?
Book a 30-minute benchmarking call. We'll compare your Google profile with practices in your metro and show you what we would fix first.