My doctor is ignoring my pre-op photo request - how long do plastic surgeons keep records/photos?

By law, physicians are required to keep medical records for a prescribed period of time which varies by state. In California, it is standard to keep records for seven years. Photos of plastic surgery patients are considered part of the medical record. If you are having difficulty, you should send a certified letter and if that is not successful, you have recourse through the medical board. At the end of the day, however, a new surgeon will have to start with your current appearance and try to move forward from that, even if old photos are never retrieved. Good luck!

By law, you are definitely entitled to these records and they should be available to you for around 7 years. There may be a nominal charge for them though this varies by state. Since you have not received a response by phone, you may want to send a certified letter documenting your attempts at obtaining the records. If you still don't receive the records or a response, you can contact your state medical board and report the situation.Steven Turkeltaub, MD

The rules and guidelines for patients who wish to requests for medical records, documents and photos are regulated by law and must be followed. There may be a charge for documents and photos, also regulated by law for your state. There also may be a required time limit for physicians to keep such records and photos, usually 7 years. Perhaps your request for records was misplaced or improperly received by your physician. A nice letter or email may serve to help you acquire your information. If not, check with the State Medical Board or local Medical Society about how to best obtain your records. Hope this helps.