Cover the after photo with your hand first. Study the before image on its own for a full minute, and decide whether the person in it looks like you: similar age, similar build, similar skin, a similar problem. If the answer is no, the after photo next to it tells you little about your own result.
That habit sits at the center of how a surgeon reads a gallery, and it applies to any practice’s photos. Patients researching Leo Lapuerta, MD, FACS, for example, will find a Houston plastic surgeon’s training and experience summed up in three figures: more than 30 years of practice, more than 30,000 procedures, surgical and non-surgical, and more than 3,000 before-and-after images available for patients to review. The third figure is the one you can put to work, provided you know how to read it.
Start from the starting point
A surgeon looks at a before photo as a set of conditions to work with. Dr. Lapuerta describes plastic surgery in those terms. “It allows me to work with what I have in a given patient presentation and utilize all aspects of that patient’s anatomy, with its benefits and limitations, along with my skills to create both the desired aesthetic and a functionally beneficial outcome for my patients.”
The anatomy a patient brings sets the range of possible results. Two patients asking for the same procedure, one with a little loose skin and one with a great deal, start from different places, and the result each can expect differs too. As you browse, sort the cases in your head by starting point, and give the most weight to the ones that match yours.
A large archive helps here for a practical reason. The more cases a gallery holds for a procedure, the better your chances of finding several patients who began where you are.
Check that the two photos match
A fair comparison needs the same conditions on both sides. Before you judge a result, look for these:
- Angle and distance. The camera should sit at the same height and distance in both images. A lower camera angle or a step back can change how a jawline or abdomen reads.
- Lighting. Overhead light deepens shadows and makes wrinkles and folds look worse. Flat, even light softens them. Both photos should use the same setup.
- Posture and pose. A raised chin tightens the neck, and a held breath flattens the stomach. Look for matching posture.
- Makeup, hair and clothing. Makeup in the after photo only can hide skin texture, and a different hairstyle can hide the skin around the ears and hairline.
Consistent photography is a sign of a practice that treats its gallery as a record. Mismatched conditions do not prove a result is weak, but they make it harder to judge.
Find the time stamp
Swelling changes how a result looks for weeks or months after surgery, depending on the procedure. A photo taken soon after the operation shows an early stage. One taken after healing shows something closer to the final result. If a gallery does not say when the after photo was taken, ask. The interval matters as much as the image.
Look at scars too, where the photos show them. Incisions leave scars, and a gallery that shows the incision lines lets you see where they fall and how they look once healed.
Read the gallery as a whole
One striking case tells you what is possible. A run of cases for the same procedure tells you what is typical for that surgeon. Scroll through enough images to see the middle of the range along with the best examples.
Then bring questions to the consultation. Ask whether the photos show the surgeon’s own patients, whether any images have been retouched, and how many times the surgeon has performed the procedure you want. Dr. Lapuerta argues that experience with a specific procedure, measured in cases and years, together with board certification, is the best guide patients have to an outcome they will be happy with. A gallery is where that experience becomes visible.
No photo predicts your result, and any surgery carries risks that a picture cannot show. At your consultation, ask to see three or four cases that match your starting point, and ask the surgeon to explain the plan behind each one.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Results vary from patient to patient. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon or your physician about your own situation. Written in partnership with Joseph Lambert, a publicist working with Leo Lapuerta, MD Plastic Surgery.