Worried about before and after photo privacy

Hello, photos are taken and kept in your medical record typically within your electronical medical record in an encrypted file that would have to be "broken into" to steal or view. If you did not authorize your surgeon to show your before and after pictures, then they can not use them. ...also...there are endless pictures of "breast" on the internet so the demand to steal or view standard before and after pictures is relativley low. 

Photographs are extremely important documents in cosmetic surgery. Many times, both the surgeon and the patient forget the degree of the deformity that existed pre-op without the benefit of photos done prior to surgery. Cosmetic surgery should not be performed, in the opinion of most plastic surgeons,  without pre-op photos. Additionally, one cannot truly evaluate the level of improvement without pre and post op comparative photos. As far as secrecy, no one can use or display a patient's images without the patient's written consent. Doing so would be a HIPPA violation. Additionally, when possible, we usually try to hide tattoos that are uniquely identifying to a patient. 

As long as you have communicated your concerns to your surgeon, your photos should be kept private.  Any photos taken in the office are part of your medical record.  There are strict laws regarding the privacy of these medical records.  If your surgeon would like to use  your photos on his/her website or other marketing materials, they would need to obtain a photo consent for that purpose.