Testimonials have never been a comprehensive measure of quality, whether it’s for a weight loss surgery center or a pool builder. The reason is that testimonials only show one side of the picture. So when researching surgery centers and surgeons for your procedures, keep in mind that weight loss surgery testimonials should be taken lightly.

For example, let’s say that I run a bariatric surgery center in a major city, a center that performs more than 100 weight loss surgeries per year. My website and brochure features testimonials from a dozen satisfied patients.

But what about the other surgeries performed each year? How do those patients feel about the results? Well, you really wouldn’t know. Maybe the weight loss surgery testimonials on the website are truly indicative of the big picture.

Or, maybe the testimonials represent the minority, and most patients were unhappy with their weight loss procedures. In this case, the testimonials on the website would actually give you a false picture of things.

The point is, you just can’t see the big picture by looking at surgery testimonials from a handful of patients. This is true of weight loss surgery or any other procedure that uses patient comments as a marketing tool.

Sure, it can be helpful to see what other patients have said about a particular surgeon. But you never know if those weight loss surgeries represent the minority of the majority. So when researching surgeons, be sure to ask these other questions well.