Photography in Plastic Surgery: A National Perspective

Goals/Purpose: Photography has often been utilized in plastic surgery and is somewhat synonymous with the specialty given its focus on visuals for a number of purposes ranging from preoperative to postoperative evaluations. This has become even more important in the context of digital growth. There have been general recommendations discussed in text and literature; however, there is no consensus on the best approach. The aim of this study is to elucidate current practice trends and to provide guidance towards a standardized template for photography in plastic surgery.

Methods/Technique: A survey was sent out to national plastic surgery societies located in the United States in plastic surgery. Responses were collected and analyzed. A literature review of current photography recommendations in plastic surgery was conducted utilizing the PubMed database.

Results/Complications: Of society members who received the survey, 311 (13%) individual responses were collected. All respondents were attending physicians. The majority of respondents focused in aesthetic surgery (28%) and had been in practice for 15-20 years (33%). In respect to taking photos of anatomic regions, all plastic surgeons took multiple views, taking photos either by themselves (46%) or having nursing (44%) take the photos. A camera phone (35%) was utilized the most, with the taken photos stored on an internal hard drive (69%). A blue background was utilized the most (86%) and photos were often taken in the exam room (53%). Photos were often taken without having patients take off makeup (79%) or having accessories taken off (53%).

Conclusion: This is the first national survey to date to assess current photography trends in plastic surgery. It appears that in accordance with general recommendations, most plastic surgeons take multiple appropriate views respective to anatomic region and also use an appropriate photography background. However, there is also considerable variation in equipment used as well as overall setting among others, with standardization being much needed.