BE AN EDUCATED CONSUMER! Breaking down top 5 common ways patients are misled into thinking results are better than they actually are.
1. Timing: On the table results, photos mmediately after injecting, or post surgical results less than a couple months are all very misleading. Beware of surgeons/injectors only showing results like these and not showing results that are 3 months to a year out – which is a much more honest assessment.
2. Selfies as the “after shot”: Although we all have patients that send in selfies and patients may not live locally, we encourage patients to take standardized photos (with the help of a friend) for their after photos. Be weary of surgeons posting selfies as after shots, as we all know we emphasize our best angles when taking our own selfies.
3. Positioning and focal length: Standard positioning is keeping the eye and ear on the same plane – this avoids exaggerating or hiding neck results and keeping light reflexes similar.
4. Standardized lighting with a neutral background: By changing the angle of lighting, I can enhance bags in the before, and then hide them in the after. Be sure there is the same amount of shadowing and light in both photos. For backgrounds, blue is the gold standard for showing edges of the skin in all different skin types and colors.
5. Edited photos (Photoshop): Look for filters, light editing, or other photo edits that can compromise the integrity of a photo. Blurring skin textures or colors can enhance a result and is a huge red flag!
Things I could do better: Have patients take off makeup for before and afters, but most just are not up for that and have places to go!
At Facial Plastic Surgery Institute, Dr. Rihani takes all these factors into considerations for all his procedures – including facelifts, rhinoplasty, eyelid lifts, and even reconstruction of skin cancer defects. Our before and after images are standardized as being at least 2 months after a surgery and we do not show “on the table” results.
Any other tips or frustrations? Drop them in the comments below.
