For breast augmentation surgery, are before and after photos required?

Question

Having a past involving sexual trauma at the hands of a medical provider, there’s absolutely no way I will allow them to take photos of this part of my body. I don’t care how “professional” they are about it. And I don’t care how much they assure me my privacy will be protected. I will not consent to them taking photos. Period.

Daniel Careaga, MD · Answer

Sexual trauma, particularly by a medical provider, is unconscionable. The trust between a provider and their patient is sacred and should never be violated. Plastic surgery as a specialty, is more subjective like art. We use photos like your primary care would use your vital signs when you visit them&hellip; To track progress and document your result. I think you would find it difficult to find a surgeon that would be willing to perform a surgery without photos.

Gregory Lakin, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Your feelings and boundaries are valid, especially considering your past experiences. Before-and-after photos are taken to help the surgeon evaluate your results and document the changes after surgery. They are also commonly used (with patient consent) for marketing or educational purposes. However, these photos are not legally required, and their necessity depends on the surgeon’s policies and practices. There are various levels of photo consent that can be offered from full consent to take pictures for their website and social media, to moderate level of consent allowing in-house use of power point presentations to show your results to prospective patients, to the base level of consent allowing only office and medical use only. These photos are typically stored in HIPPA compliant databases and if you ask for no one except your surgeon and office staff to see the photos they will abide by that. During your consultation, let your surgeon know you are uncomfortable taking photos. If photos are part of the surgeon’s usual protocol, ask if they can use detailed written or diagrammatic documentation of your breast dimensions and appearance instead. If a surgeon insists on taking photos despite your clear boundaries, consider consulting another surgeon who is willing to accommodate your request.

Brian K. Reedy, MD · Answer

Hello, thank you for your question and I am sorry you had this happen to you. I can't speak for every office but the purpose for before and after photos is for medical documentation for your records.  There may be an office that would waive the photos with a signed consent, but this would be something you would have to request on an induvial basis. Best of luck! Again, sorry for the trauma this has caused you.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Gdjam,
finding the right Dr. is extremely challenging especially with the number of online platforms and resources available. There a lot of great Dr's available. Make sure he/she is a board-certified plastic surgeon. Definitely check to make sure your choice specializes in the procedure you want and spend the time to read through patient testimonials. There is a number of different sites where you can check for reviews (Realself, yelp, google, etc.).You can always pick up the phone and call around also, find an office you feel comfortable with and set up a few consultations. It is not mandatory to take photos of patients.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Azita Madjidi, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Pictures are part of the medical record for breast augmentation, just like an ECG is part of a cardiology medical record or a chest X ray for a pulmonologist. If your surgeon is a male plastic surgeon, there is always a chaperone during consultation.

Andrew Wolfe, MD · Answer

Thank you for you question.  I am very sorry that you have this terrible history with a medical provider - I can see why that would undermine your confidence in the medical profession.  For a variety of reasons, I would consider preoperative photographs a mandatory part of the surgical process.  With these photos, I can help plan surgery and would use them for reference postoperatively. If any undesired outcomes occur or if a revision becomes necessary, it is vital to know where you started before surgery.  In our practice, we also use 3D Vectra imaging to help patients visualize what a particular implant may look like.  For most patients, these photos are seen by nobody except them, me, and the staff in the operating room.  Some patients specifically consent to in-office or website use of their photos but this is not the default in our practice.  
At the end of the day, the degree of trust that you must place in your provider extends well beyond their treatment of your photos and other protected patient information.  You will be under anesthesia for the surgery, and are literally trusting your surgeon, anesthesiologist, and office staff with your life.  If your past trauma prevents you from establising a sufficient degree of trust then elective surgery may not be your best choice.  
I hope that this information helps.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

Preoperative photos are part of the documentation process. For me refusal to have photos taken would lead to me canceling the case.  You surgeon may feel differently

Ira H. Rex III, MD · Answer

The answer to this is quite simple.  Technically, they are not needed for the surgery itself, but often help both the patient and plastic surgeon plan the operation and evaluate the results.  The answer comes down to a whether the surgeon requires it as their standard of care.  Given your situation, I do not think I would have any problem operating without photographs. Good luck with your surgery!

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

It is a part of patient’s medical documentation like labs, EKG, medical clearance, to take before and after photos. However, it is your right to request from your surgeon not to do that.

Luis A. Mejia, MD · Answer

Dear Gdjam, thanks for sharing your concerns this is mostly a mandatory step to compare resuls. Make sure you go on consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Hope this helps and best of lucks. Dr. Luis Mejia.

For breast augmentation surgery, are before and after photos required?

Answers (16)

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