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

http://www.ologyspa.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

http://www.ologyspa.com

Clarian North Medical Center, Carmel, Indiana

Clarian West Medical Center, Avon, Indiana

Indianapolis