Did you know that 75 percent of patients would not consider a practice for aesthetic treatments if they didn’t have before and after pictures? It’s important for the growth and success of your practice to demonstrate what you can achieve for your patients by using proper, consistent before and after photos.
Read more for some key tips and download our full length Before & After Photography Guide.
Consistency Is Key
The easiest way for your patients to compare the before and after photos is by having consistency in all your photos. This means maintaining consistent lighting, angles, zoom, camera/photo quality, patient positioning, background, and photography area. All these factors help potential patients clearly see the results you can achieve.
Minimize Distractions
Good results can be diminished by distracting elements that make it difficult for the potential client to assess the difference.
Before you take photos, minimize all possible distractions on the patient and in the room. Hair should be out of the face, visible jewelry should be removed, and facial expressions should be minimal.
For body photos, make sure the clothing is not bunched up, hanging, or otherwise getting in the way of looking at the body. When possible, photograph the patient in disposable garments for the best result. In addition, make sure there are no distracting elements in the background of your photos such as clothing, coat racks, wall signage, etc.
No Dedicated Photography Space? No Problem!
The best environment for before & after photos is a dedicated photography space that maintains consistent placement for your backdrop, floor decal (for patient position), and camera, while also providing consistent lighting for all photos. However, we recognize that many practices may lack a space to dedicate to before and after photos.
There are still steps you can take to ensure the best photos: marking in each treatment room where the patient and photographer should stand, following all the tips for consistent photos above, and always having the before photo on hand to reference and match the after photo to.
The More Time Points, the Better
When possible, taking photos at the proper time points help illustrate the final results of a treatment. Especially when performing a series of treatments, never forget to take the initial before photo. If your treatment plan includes multiple sessions, remember to take a photo immediately after each session to show your patient their progress.
Follow-up photos are also important.
For facial treatments, we recommend taking photos one day post, one week post, and one month post.
Body contouring treatments are different, as it may take longer for the body to process the biological changes. For body treatments, we recommend taking follow-up photos one month post, three months post, and six months post.
For your regular patients, keep a record of when they’re coming in for other treatments or check-ups, and use this opportunity to grab before and after photos if they consent.
Have the right paperwork
Protect yourself and your business by ensuring that you have the patient's consent to use their photos and ensure whatever release you are using, social media is included. Add these files to your patient’s records along with the treatment setting used and any pre- or post- treatment regimens recommended. These details are essential for clinical purposes and to have them handy when asked how you produced such beautiful results!
Highlight your results
There are a number of photo apps that can assist in laying out your photos consistently. Some of the apps we recommend are PicCollage, Photo Mirror, and Layout, which all integrate easily with social media. You can input your photos and post directly from the app or save to your camera roll to share later! Other useful tools include HumazeMD – an online tool to organize all your before and after’s and publish them directly to websites and social media. In fact, Cartessa customers get a free 30-day trial and preferred monthly pricing from HumazeMD.
If you are investing in a best-in-class aesthetic device, you are missing out if you are not showing off your authentic, best-in-class results to current and potential patients. Investing in proper equipment, space and set up, and staff training for before and after photos will pay off for your practice in the short and long run. You work tirelessly to give your patients the best results, so don’t forget to show them off in the best light! (And don't forget - you can get rewarded for your before & after photos with Cartessa! Submit your results achieved with Cartessa products and approved submissions receive a credit to our e-store.)
Whether you are currently using before and after photos to drive new business into your practice, or if you are looking to start – here are a few helpful tips to ensure you are making the most of this impactful content.
DOWNLOAD OUR BEFORE & AFTER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE FOR MORE INFORMATION
