Inviting Controversy

Readers react to Persana!

Around 4:30 this morning, with mercurial hormones disrupting my REM, my mind wandered to work, landing, at some point, on the triggering nature of aesthetics. The subject matter, as a whole, suddenly seems to warrant a “sensitive content” label. I’m prepared to blame low estrogen for this too, though I’m sure there’s more to it.

Certain topics have always been polarizing, of course, but lately, every time a story goes live, I find myself bracing for the inevitable outrage. Whether I’m covering the cost of facelifts, the potential for injectables to complicate surgery, or the renewed interest in over-the-muscle breast implants, I somehow manage to offend with my choice of experts, the viewpoints they express, or the sheer fact that I gave air to such drivel. (Hi, just a reminder, my job is to report on trending conversations in aesthetics.)

The latest source of upset is Persana, a new platform that I recently reviewed for Allure. It exists to connect patients with dermatologists and surgeons who are board-certified in a core aesthetic specialty and vetted by their peers. Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon, Babak Azizzadeh, MD, cofounded the site and assembled a panel of physicians to help with recruitment and credentialing. The Persana background check covers the basics (licensing, certification, reputation, litigation) in addition to reviewing physicians’ academic achievements and clinical outcomes. Doctors who meet Persana standards are invited into the network.

📸 courtesy of Persana

Sounds innocent enough, but ultimately, the idea of high-profile doctors electing to evaluate their colleagues before awarding or denying membership into an exclusive club ruffled some feathers. (Go figure!) A number of readers reached out in response to my Allure article — and, as so often happens, the drama around the story quickly eclipsed the story itself.

In DMs and texts, critics of the platform questioned the motives of those involved, their methods for selecting doctors, and the objectivity of the peer-review process. They wondered what qualifies Dr. Azizzadeh’s team to determine which doctors are “the best” and on what specific criteria cosmetic results are being judged. One raised the point that in general plastic surgery, which encompasses face, breast, and body procedures, one can’t possibly be “the best” at every operation they perform.

Backing up a step, readers asked, how are doctors being scouted? Is there really a way to survey every eligible dermatologist and plastic surgeon across the country and fairly evaluate all of their track records? Some have suggested that if a physician isn’t social-media famous, doesn’t travel in the right aesthetic circles, and isn’t friendly with a Persana heavyweight, their odds of receiving an invite are likely slim.