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Archive for the 'plastic surgery pictures' Category
The Evolving Purpose of Before and After Photographs in Plastic Surgery
Author: barryeppley
Before and after photographs of plastic surgery procedures are commonplace today. They are present on doctor’s , societies and referral websites. Thousands upon thousands of plastic surgery procedure photographs are available all over the internet. While not long ago a plastic surgeon had a book of before and after pictures in their office for patients to view so they could decide if they liked what the procedure can do, patients today want to see a doctor’s results first to determine if they even want to go there. The proliferation of the internet has made posting of before and after photographs a necessity for any plastic surgery practice today.
The original use of before and after photographs, however, was to convey a sense of happiness from the result of the surgery. To sell the observation, so to speak, that the changes of cosmetic surgery can make one happy. According to Sander Gilman in his book entitled Making The Body Beautiful, the first before and after photographs were from the Civil War of reconstructed noses and faces and by the 1880s aesthetic surgeons quickly followed suit. Since that time, photographic quality, detail and standardization has improved but the intent has always been to show how much better the patient looks and how much happier they must be after. This intent can clearly be seen even today with many before facial photographs showing the patient without makeup and looking sullen… and the postoperative picture with the patient in makeup and in better spirits.
But the plethora of plastic surgery photographs today and their immediate availability on the internet has evolved into a more sophisticated purpose. Patients now presume that the results from plastic surgery will make them happy. That has been well proven and documented. What they want to know is how much difference can the procedure make and is it significant enough to go through the procedure. They are looking for someone that may look like them and are using those results to determine if it is worth it for them. …or whether you can duplicate this same result on them. Many patients now come in with pictures printed off of the internet (often not from my websites) and use them as a discussion point. This is particularly true in facial surgery.
It is likely that whom the patient choses to see today as their plastic surgeon is highly influenced by not only whether they have pictures posted but by whether the patient thinks the results they are seeing is good. Patients are no longer primarily interested in whether cosmetic surgery can make them happy, but by what plastic surgeon can give them the results they are after.
Dr. Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis
It is a common request that patients seek to review before and after photographs from many different plastic surgery procedures. Photographs not only provide an awareness of what results can be achieved but also provide evidence that their prospective plastic surgeon has experience in the procedure that they are interested in. I think one of the best reasons that a patient should look at before and after pictures is that it provides a visual stimulus that often leads to good questions, particularly about the realistic benefits of what palstic surgery can…and cannot do.
In my plastic surgery practice, I have set up many different easily-accessible sites for my patients to review procedure results. All of these are on the internet at various websites. They are as follows:
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com My practice wesbite has results from 21 of the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures. Within each category are dozens of examples.
http://www.locateadoc.com This is the #1 physician referral website in the United States. Search my name and city and you will have access to an extensive office tour as well as over one hundred before and after photographs from various face and body procedures.
http://www.loveyourlook.com This is the patient website for the Mentor Corporation, the largest braest implant manufacturer in the United States. By searching under my name and city, you will find over one hundred before and after photographs of breast augmentation, breast augmentation revisions, breast lifts and liposuction results. This is a great resource for all potential breast surgery patients.
Between these three websites, you will find hundreds of before and after plastic surgery results performed by me. It is the generosity of these patients that makes it possible to create such a photo archive for new patients.
Dr. Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis
One of the most frequently asked questions to me by patients, and undoubtably looked for on websites and the internet, are photographic results of plastic surgery. Specifically, plastic surgery pictures from the specific plastic surgeon that they are evaluating. Given that everything we do in plastic surgery is visible and capable of being photographed, most plastic surgeons will have a good library of before and after pictures to peruse. I always send my patients to my website collection at http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com/cosmetic.html. From there, they can choose any of the twenty-one cosmetic categories, click on the category, and then click on results to see before and after pictures.
When viewing photographs of plastic surgery results I advise my patients that, first and foremost, these are representative examples and do not imply that they will get the same result. They are posted so patients can see what is possible in some patients, but are not a guarantee of what result they may get. Secondly, I try to put up what I consider typical or average results, not just the best results for any procedure that I have. All results can be critiqued in some fashion and that is one of their main points…no patient gets a perfect result. Every surgical result has flaws. It is about getting significant improvement but with as few complications as possible. Lastly, pictures can be deceiving. Lighting, angles, and how far after surgery the picture was taken all contribute to how the result looks.
In conclusion, before and after pictures of plastic surgery are posted to help you think about your proposed surgery and get a visual understanding of what may happen. They are a significant part of each patient’s education process. They are not, however, a guarantee of surgical results.
Dr Barry Eppley
http://www.eppleyplasticsurgery.com
Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana
Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana
Indianapolis