Fake or real plastic surgery photos?

What are tips to make sure the plastic surgery pictures, before-afters, I see are real. I have worries that fakes and retouching will hide the truth!

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7 answers to “Fake or real plastic surgery photos?”

A: It takes a careful eye to spot the fakes.

David Shafer, MD

This is a great question. Most plastic surgeons and other people practicing cosmetic surgery make websites and post photos. I have found that many websites do not even post their own photos. In fact, if you look carefully, you can see the same photos on multiple websites. That is because many people... more

A: Good question - photos are very important but need to be viewed wisely

Richard P. Rand, MD

This is an excellent question! The best situation in my opinion occurs when a prospective patient sits down with a plastic surgeon and runs through many photos (un-retouched or digitally altered!) of that surgeon's own patients. I personally spend an hour with each new patient and do not relegate this to... more

A: Good Photos are very important

Michael Law, MD

By good photos I don't just mean "wow" before and afters but good quality, consistent placement and consistent lighting. When a staff member discovered our images posted on another site without our agreement  we were mortified. Yes, this can happen.   When viewing photos in the office... more

A: Ask to speak or meet with Real Patients

Kamran Jafri, MD

Hello Liza, I agree that closely looking at the photos will help you determine which ones are real clinical patients and which are stock photos. Also ask your Doctor for referrals - you should always be able to speak with or meet prior patients who have worked with the Doctor to get their experiences and... more

A: Website photos alone are not enough

Shahram Salemy, MD

This is a great question, and unfortunately there is no easy answer. Just looking at website photos alone are not enough, and I think it is very helpful for a patient to sit down with the surgeon and go over the pictures directly, so the surgeon can describe to you specifically what he sees and how he aimed... more

A: Photos should be honest and reflect long term results

Brent Moelleken, MD

Before-after pictures should  be taken with the same camera and lighting and have the same background.  The photographs should show how long after the procedure they were taken.  They should be taken from the same standardized angles. Some before-after results are literally taken in the surgery... more

A: Photos are over-rated

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

While the popular advice is to look at photos, I think pre- and post-op photos by themselves give very limited information especially if shown cold on a website or by surgical consultants who have not done the actual surgery. While patients look for similar patients for the results that they can get,... more

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