Dr Nora explains what she uses in her clinical practice to improve her workflow.
Aside from the obvious that generally those who have undergone a cosmetic treatment want to see their photographs, there are also a number of other reasons and complexities involved in getting that great before and after picture.
Firstly, before and after pictures help as a defence mechanism, so if a patient returns with a claim that you have or haven’t done something, there is photographic evidence. Not only is it a useful defence mechanism but it can also be used as an offence weapon.
Social media feeds are full of before and after pictures, so how do you stand out of a large crowd? By having a great before and after picture. If you showcase your work effectively, not only are you reaching out to those who are interested in a procedure, but you may also gain the viewership of prospective patients who have had your post shared to them by a friend.
On a clinical level, if you present your patient with a poor before and after picture, you’ll have to spend time explaining the procedure you have just performed, this will take time, time that you may not have in clinic. Similarly, if you’re having to convince your patient, who may be somewhat foggy headed after their procedure, they may also come out feeling confused. Then, when said patient goes home to speak with their friends, they’re not able to communicate their procedure, potentially decreasing your revenue.
So what if we now presented our patient with a great before and after picture, straight away the patient can be focused on the changes. They’re on board with the procedure that has been done, you’ve now eliminated the need to explain and perhaps sell them your work.
Now when that patient goes home, they can fully comprehend their procedure, and they become your brand ambassador.
Not only are accurate before and after pictures desirable in clinical practice to grow your market, but they are a requirement from the Medical Board AHPRA who have specific guidelines on before and after pictures. Such pictures must not be misleading to the public and there should be consistency in the camera angle, background, framing and exposure.
For me personally, I love sharing my work with my patients directly after their treatments. I find this consolidates the procedure and allows them to have that ‘oh wow’ moment, helping to justify their money spent and your efforts into the procedure. I used many applications to satisfy my desire, but I always found them fiddly, zooming in/ out and editing the picture in front of the patient seemed a very time poor idea. I know for a fact that a lot of my colleagues don’t show their patient’s pictures after the procedure for exactly that reason, instead they have follow up consults. However, I like to put myself into the patient’s shoes, if I had spent $x I want to get that instant gratification because I know if I go home, I’d have forgotten.
I searched high and wide to find something that would fulfil my needs of a time effective application that I could use in clinic. I couldn’t find it. So I made it.
Treatment Pad is an application that uses the technology of the 21st century to help make my life, and hopefully yours, much easier. It uses computer vision and machine learning to analyse the facial markers, then at a touch of a button, the markers are instantly aligned and the photographs are cropped in. Needless to say, my own personal satisfaction has increased dramatically and so has my patients, to the extent that they themselves use the app to monitor their own progress.
This was fantastic for me, consultation times were shorter, patient satisfaction had improved, comprehension of the treatment was present and my patient outreach had increased. So I pushed this further, what if there was a way to improve the photographs that I’m actually taking? To prevent misleading photography, in keeping with the medical board’s guidelines, this was my next step to work on. We know that the angle a picture is taken can have a dramatic effect on the way a feature is portrayed. Take for example a photograph of the lips, if the camera is placed too low, the lower lip looks bigger, conversely if the camera is placed too high, the upper lip looks bigger. Now whilst there are some on social media who use this photography trickery to their advantage, it is essentially misleading the public. Again, I searched for a camera application that could help, but it didn’t exist. So now Treatment Pad is able to use those same algorithms for detecting the facial markers to help you to take an accurate picture. It can guide you on the angles, eg. 45 degrees and also allows you to see the before picture in a split screen for comparison.
As a result of the technology in the app, my patients are happier, my growth has increased, my social media feed is consistent satisfying any guidelines and I now use less time editing my photographs.
The success of Treatment Pad has also been reflected in our user base. Currently we have an increasing number of clinics globally using the application, from Australia, Las Vegas, New York and Harley Street in London just to name a few.
With customisable branding now available and the ability to one day use the camera as a wand around the patient’s face automatically taking the best pictures, the future for cosmetic practitioners is very exciting.
For more information and to download, head over to treatmentpad.com.
I hope that you have found this article helpful.
Take care and stay healthy,
Dr Nora x
