Lauren CasperDr. Simon Ourian is a famous cosmetic dermatologist who owns Epione in Beverly Hills. Dr. Ourian and his clinic have been known for their celebrity clients for over twenty years, including Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Chrissy Teigen, Eva Mendes, and many more.
Dr Ourian’s career exploded after he was somehow endorsed by the Kardashian family. According to reports, he built a connection with celebrities of such caliber. As his career exploded and Dr Ourian started to be regarded as a celebrity dermatologist, it was only natural for his business ventures to surge in popularity.
One of his main business ventures is Epione, a clinic located in Beverly Hills. According to their website, Epione was first established in 1998. Initially located in California, the website claimed that Epione is a clinic dedicated to aesthetic laser surgery. To this day, Dr Ourian tries to distinguish itself for its “state-of-the-art” laser surgery technology, which we will discuss more in the following paragraphs.
Another of Dr Ourian’s business ventures is Epione Skin Care, where he sells a wide variety of high-end skin care products, including different types of serum and concealer. While there is no hard evidence in the following story, Dr Ourian stated that Epione Skin Care results from his frustration with the lack of effective skincare he could recommend to his patients. Thus, he partnered with a laboratory to develop his formulas, which eventually sold as Epione Skin Care.
More about cosmetic dermatology
Since Dr. Simon Ourian is a cosmetic dermatologist, let us tell you more about cosmetic dermatology, what it offers, the education and training required to be a good cosmetic dermatologist, and the risks involved in cosmetic dermatology procedures.
In general, dermatology is a medical study that deals with hair, nails, and skin. Dermatology mostly addresses issues and medical problems found in the patient’s body. On the other hand, cosmetic dermatology is a branch of dermatology that emphasizes fulfilling a patient’s desire to change their body, including changing their skin tones, reducing surface fat, treating acne, smoothing wrinkles, and more.
As with any other medical practice, a cosmetic dermatologist must be board-certified to work in their field. To qualify for board certification, an individual must have at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited medical school and complete a residency program in dermatology, which includes three years of residency and a year of working as an intern.
Cosmetic dermatology is an extension of dermatology, made to help patients achieve their desires. With that in mind, cosmetic dermatology procedures do come with a risk. While none of the risks are deadly, the scale of fatality depends on which procedures you are going through. For instance, misconduct in dermal fillers may lead to several adverse problems, such as muscle contractures and vision loss. Thus, patients must look for credible professionals in cosmetic dermatology.
Now that you are well informed about cosmetic dermatology let us conduct a quick background check on Dr. Simon Ourian. From a consumer point of view, Dr. Ourian looks credible, especially when you look at his media appearances and pictures of him with some of Hollywood’s elite celebrities. Moreover, each website he runs, including his personal and business, looks professional and convincing.
However, if you compare each of his websites side-by-side, you will notice a few odd similarities that look questionable. It is never wrong to use celebrity publicity to improve your own business.
In fact, it is quite admirable that Dr Ourian manages to connect with such top celebrities. Additionally, Dr Simon Ourian did a perfect job appearing in media and TV shows to further promote his clinic and services. Regardless, the odd similarities we mentioned above are how Dr Ourian only emphasizes his publicity and celebrity connections on most of his websites.
As a person working in the medical field, it is only standard for one to include at least his/her academic background along with other certifications that he/she gained during her studies and career. Suppose you look at Epione, Epione Skin Care, and Dr Ourian’s personal website.
In that case, there are hardly any details about his academic background and medical certifications despite always having a section about his personal details.
Instead, you will find the same old story about how he worked with famous patients such as Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Kendal Jenner, etc. Again, it is not a wrong move to use this strategy to promote your branding and business.
Still, the rest of the information usually covers how Dr Ourian is a master at what he does, how passionate he is about helping his patients, how detailed he is when working with patients, and how his professional team will welcome you to fulfill your desires.
Our point is that it is extremely hard to run a background check on Dr Ourian as he does not post much detail about his background, at least on his personal and business websites. Fortunately, medical professionals, including Dr Simon Ourian, have a background that can always be checked from a public record.
Remember how we mentioned the residency program that a cosmetic dermatologist has to go through as one of the requirements to get board-certified? Shockingly, Dr Ourian has never been trained in a dermatology residency program. This is highly questionable, considering that Dr Ourian is licensed under the state of California.
According to Medical Board of California reports, Dr. Ourian completed anesthesia and internal medicine training. Still, those are completely unrelated to the field where he works in cosmetic dermatology.
Although not mentioned as frequently, Dr Ourian did say on his website that he developed his interest towards dermatology and aesthetics during his residence program in UCLA, but “interest” alone is not enough to earn yourself the skills required to be a good cosmetic dermatologist.
To put you into perspective, Dr. Simon Ourian is not only a cosmetic dermatologist but also a businessman who owns a clinic and skin care products in both Epione and Epione Skin Care.
Granted that you do not have to be skilled in dermatology to own a business operating in that field, it is a crucial requirement for someone who works as a professional in cosmetic dermatology to at least fulfill the required qualifications, let alone have a good medical track record.
Not only does our previous assessment show that Dr Ourian’s qualifications are questionable, but there have been scandals regarding his past—not just any scandal, but one that concerns his license as a medical worker.
In 2005, long before Dr. Simon Ourian gained popularity, California charged him with approximately 29 different wrongdoings. These wrongdoings involved multiple aspects of his business, including some malpractices that were not directly related to his medical practices, such as gross negligence, repeated negligent acts, incompetence, and inadequate record keeping.
Among all of his charges, what we find most concerning is aiding and abetting the unlicensed practice of medicine. This means allowing an unlicensed party, such as a nurse, to carry out medical practices that should only be done by licensed professionals.
In fact, it was alleged that a nurse in Dr Ourian’s clinic was allowed to perform a facelift on a patient, which is always dangerous regardless of that nurse’s skill level.
These charges were amended in 2007 and resulted in the revocation of his medical license in 2009, which was way before Dr Ourian became famous. Eventually, Dr Simon Ourian was to serve a five-year probation, in which he had to complete at least 45 hours of medical education.
The courses involved during the medical education were specifically aimed towards the areas where problems were found in him, including communication skills, record keeping, ethics, and an assessment of his physical and mental health.
Another result of the charges is that Dr Ourian was prohibited from conducting his medical practices. During those 5 years, Dr Ourian can only proceed to carry out medical practices when supervised by a board-certified doctor. Additionally, Dr Ourian was not allowed to manage and watch over a physician assistant, a power he misused before being charged with misconduct.
Although the five years following 2009 were a low point in Dr Ourian’s career, his probation was lifted after he served five years. A couple of years after getting his probation lifted, Dr Ourian turned his career around, mostly because of his ability to connect with high-profile patients.
No one knows what Dr Ourian went through during the five years of probation. More importantly, no one knows if he is truly a changed man who will serve his patients with integrity—at least not until a board-certified doctor, Dr. Adam Rubenstein, reviews and exposes Dr. Ourian’s line of work.
It all began when Dr. Adam Rubenstein received reports from Dr. Ourian’s patients about the unsatisfactory and somewhat harmful results they experienced after attending Dr. Ourian’s clinic.
One example was Dick Van Dyke, whose wife received a treatment Dr Ourian referred to as “Lipo Freeze,” a term that is not commonly used in the world of cosmetic dermatology. Shortly explained, Dick Van Dyke’s wife experienced excessive bleeding followed by an awful scar after going through the Lipo Freeze in Dr Ourian’s clinic.
According to Dr Rubenstein, Lipo Freeze is most likely a form of ciro lipolysis, more commonly known as CoolSculpting. This prevalent and low-risk procedure should not result in such consequences. Dr. Rubenstein was unaware that bleeding was possible after CoolSculpting (Lipo Freeze in Dr Ourian’s term).
Looking deeper at the treatments offered by Dr Ourian’s clinic shows that he is a fan of using unfamiliar terms for the practices he offers in his clinic. Moreover, he trademarked several of these terms and practices, not allowing other clinics and professionals to use the same terms he used.
One example is Cool Laser, a term that Dr Ourian has trademarked for a technology he used in his clinic. Supposedly, it is another one of the laser technologies that he used for his patients. Still, Dr. Adam Rubenstein stated that he and other cosmetic dermatologists are unfamiliar with Cool Laser.
In addition, a well-known cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Jason Emmer, stated that he had found no positive effects from using Cool Laser. Dr. Emmer received many patients asking for alternative treatments after receiving the Cool Laser treatment from Dr. Ourian.
Facts and Figures About Dermatology
- A 2022 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 37.8% of Instagram accounts advertising dermatology services in top U.S. metropolitan areas were not run by board-certified dermatologists.
- According to a 2020 study in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 40% of top plastic surgery practices had fake reviews on Google.
- The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported a 131% increase in non-invasive cosmetic procedures between 2000 and 2019.
- A 2021 American Society for Dermatologic Surgery survey found that 70% of consumers were considering a cosmetic procedure.
- According to Grandview Research, The global medical aesthetics market was valued at USD 13.32 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.5% from 2022 to 2030.
Relevant Malpractice Cases in Cosmetic Dermatology
- Dr. Windell Boutte (Georgia, 2021): Surrendered her medical license after multiple malpractice suits, including cases where patients suffered brain damage during cosmetic procedures.
- Dr. Raj Kanodia (Los Angeles, 2019): Faced a lawsuit Douglass v. Kanodia where a patient alleged disfigurement following a rhinoplasty procedure.
- Dr. Daniel Lanzer (Australia, 2021): A high-profile cosmetic surgeon who surrendered his medical registration amid an investigation into his practices.
- Dr. Lionel Bissoon (New York, 2018): Faced disciplinary action for negligence and incompetence in performing mesotherapy and liposuction.
- Dr. Scott Blyer (New York, 2017): Had his medical license suspended for gross negligence and incompetence in performing plastic surgery procedures.
- Dr. Ehab Mohamed (California, 2015): Convicted of involuntary manslaughter after a patient died following a liposuction procedure.
- Dr. Jan Adams (California, 2008): Had his medical license revoked following multiple DUI convictions and allegations of negligence in cosmetic surgeries.
How did Dr Ourian manage to stay on top?
With his awful history and exposed wrongdoings, how did Dr. Ourian stay on top while operating a clinic in the heart of Beverly Hills? This combines different reasons that make Dr Ourian the person he is now.
First of all, it is obvious that Dr Ourion has done a great job of gaining the public’s attention by appearing on TV shows and the media. Working with some of Hollywood’s top individuals also plays a huge part in his and his clinic’s success.
Secondly, we figured that Dr Ourian is an expert in removing and hiding bad reviews from real customers who have been to his clinics. Moreover, whenever someone like Dr Adam Rubenstein tries to expose his practices, Dr Ourian will take extreme measures to fight back and defeat his critics.
In the case of Dr Adam Rubenstein, he received tons of bad reviews after exposing Dr Ourian. Weirdly, these reviews came from random accounts in Russia. The same account gave good reviews for Dr Ourian’s services, indicating that Dr Ourian is no stranger to using fake reviews to boost his business and eliminate competitors.
Conclusively, we are not here to slander Dr Ourian and his business ventures; we are simply stating facts and reports from accredited resources. Whether you trust Dr Ourian, Epione, or Epione Skin Care is up to you. To close it off, we kindly remind you that instead of looking at celebrities’ endorsements and public stunts, always do a thorough background check before using any products and services.
Dr. Simon Ourian Reviews
Oh yeah! This doctor (Simon Ourian) just hit a home run by fixing the Kardashians’ teeth, and he’s been fleecing the rest of us forever! You know, I went for Botox treatment at Epione. I admit I was influenced by Dr. Simon Ourian, a celebrity plastic surgeon with many cool clients. I thought he would be good. I was sold into a facelift for one hour, costing $14000 with the radiance filler. Yet, this DID NOT work at all! The cool blue laser is used without protection and goes right over the eyelids.
I felt like a fool signing the contract since nothing worked. The radiance is now lumpy and is sliding down or so it seems. Now, these guys tell me it will continue for 3-7 years until it becomes a tissue! The cool blue laser treatment made my eyes droopy for several weeks, not to mention the fear I had to go through. It is excruciating as well. I want people to avoid this celebrity dentist’s practice. He does not care for commoners like us; yes, most treatments don’t work!
I also went on All Things Crime, where another patient review clearly stated that the doctor was never around and that even 20% improvement was guaranteed with Cool laser at a fee of $ 7,000. However, no results were there, and this is the same thing that happened to me. As the doctor had promised earlier, this patient did not even get a full refund.
Even Graziadaily states that Dr. Ourian was under supervision for five years in 2009 after admitting to repeated negligence and the keeping of inadequate patient records. Sadly, most people continue to fall prey to these fraudulent doctors, who are inefficient and only know how to wrangle money out of their clients.
The doctors exposed on Lauren Casper:
- Dr. Sam Rizk Reviews: Unstoppable Bleeding After Rhinoplasty
- Dr. Simon Ourian Reviews & Epione Beverly Hills Fraudulent Practices
- Dr. Scott Kamelle Accused of Fatal Misconduct
- Dr. Keith Nemec: Total Health Institute Lawsuits and Complaints
- Dr. Sonny Rubin Fake Customer Reviews
- Dr. Scott Kamelle Accused of Fatal Misconduct
