North Carolina Plastic Surgery: The Importance of Before and After Photos

Saturday, March 30th, 2013

Apart from feedback from previous clients, “before and after” photos are one of the most effective ways to assess a plastic surgeon’s skill and finesse. Here at our North Carolina plastic surgery practice, we understand that making the decision to have plastic surgery could be quite difficult. Thus, we make it a point to provide you with the right set of information concerning the procedure you’re interested in.

Online Gallery vs. Personal Consultation

While the online gallery of pre and post-procedure photos could help you discern a surgeon’s ability to perform a certain procedure, you might want to personally visit the surgeon’s clinic, too. There are several patients who do not consent to their photos viewed online but allow the surgeon to show it to clients during consultations.

Also, during your personal visit with Dr. Buchanan, he will be able to pick out photos of patients who have similar anatomy, preferences, and goals as yours.

What to Look For in Before and After Photos

Here’s a quick guide of what to look for in before and after photos:

• Check for consistency in the photos, particularly in the positioning of the subject and the size ratio of the photographs. Color saturation and lighting should also be identical.

• Ask for photos of patients similar to your age, built, weight, gender, and ethnicity. With this trick, you would be able to visualize yourself better post-procedure.

• Check for symmetry.

• Assess for a surgeon’s aesthetic sense of beauty.

• Check the quality of the scars. A highly experienced surgeon could really make them look tiny and inconspicuous as much as possible. Also, keep in mind that scars are visibly red a few weeks post-procedure and will eventually fade after roughly 6 months.

Dr. Buchanan has hospital privileges at both Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva.  The procedures are performed either in his office or at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital.  We are located at 209 Hospital Drive, Suite 202, Highlands, NC.  Call us at 828-526-3783 or fill out this contact form to schedule an initial consultation. We look forward to your visit!