Happy Hump Day!  Today we talk about how to take surgical aesthetic photos before and after any aesthetic surgery and the importance behind the art of just taking a photo.  Surgical Aesthetic Photography is the ONLY objective evidence to demonstrate the anatomic alterations in the patient’s body and the ONLY objective method to observe the clinical outcome after any aesthetic surgery.  It is imperative to take good before and after photos in a consistent way. 

There are several factors that that are key when taking surgical aesthetic photographs:

1. Camera: The camera should have the capability of adequately capturing details.
2. Photographer:  Ideally, there should be a designated person in charge of taking all the before and after photos.
3. Area: The photos should always be taken in the same space area, an area designated for procedure photography.
4. Lightening: The photography area should have the same lightening at all times.
5. Background: The background should be of a solid dark color, preferably black or dark blue, so there are no distractions and details are better identified.
6. Disposable underwear: The patients should always wear disposable underwear, preferably black, to keep consistency between photos and avoid distraction away from physical changes.
7. Positioning of the patient: All photos should be taken in the same positions to better asses the progression of physical changes.

The six(6) basic positions used for body contouring procedures include:

– a front picture

– a 45 degrees angle of the front left

– a left 90 degrees angle

– a back picture

– a right 90 degrees angle

– a 45 degrees angle of the right front

Additional, closer photos of the areas for fat transfer should be taken, following the above guidelines depending on the area.

Surgical Aesthetic Photography is critical to the pre-operative evaluation and the post-operative progression of the healing process.  It should become part of the evaluation routine of any aesthetic surgical patient.

It’s not a secret, we ALL forget how we look like before any aesthetic treatment.  So… ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS take photos and learn how to take good ones!  Connect with us at dravellanet.com.