Being a Plastic Surgery expert of the face in Beverly Hills, I am often asked to show my before and after photos. Patients can really gain a lot of valuable information based on studying before and after photos of facelift, rhinoplasty and plastic surgery of the face. The most important thing that my patients gain from viewing my before and after photos is the natural appearance of all my patients after surgery. My patients never look “done”, they always look fresh, natural and more youthful. It is always important to look at photos of patients that have similar anatomy and facial features as you do. For example, if you are considering a facelift and have a short, thick neck it is not applicable for you to look at photos of patients with long thin necks. Furthermore, if you are considering a rhinoplasty and have a nose with thick skin you should look at photos of patients with thick skin rather than those with thin skin. Your postoperative results are more likely to be consistent with patients who have thick skin.
Looking at before and after photos allows you to take note of the incision placement and scar quality in many instances. There are a few factors to note when reviewing before and after photos. It is important to make sure that both the before and after photo show the same angles and lighting. It is easy for a doctor to make the after photos look more flattering or artificially enhanced when angles and lighting are slightly manipulated. There are other subtle tricks that may be hard to detect which can artificially enhance the after photo so don’t forget to go to a doctor that you trust. Above all else, when deciding which doctor to choose you should pick a doctor who has a great reputation, and one who’s work you have seen. Let the before and after photos be an important guide but don’t let them be the only factor.