The way results are displayed

[michaeljames]

After looking through hundreds of results posted pre and post op,I'm wondering if anyone else has a similar concern as myself!!! A lot of the prep photos are hair combed in a way in which would

A not be a natural hair style and

B makes the patient look much balder then he actually is!!

However the post of photos show it with the hair neatly styled and combed over a lot of the problem areas exposed on the pre op photos!!!

Obviously doctors will do this to maximise the wow factor of the results,but I think a fair comparison if your going to show the best it can look after a ht is to show a photo pre op with the same style,not a combed back halfway up his head style that exposes the thin areas then a12 months later a photo with them areas covered by what was native hair anyway!!! Just so the comparison is a fair one!! I could style my hair in a way which would make me look 10 times balder than when iv styled it properly,so if I showed them 2 different photos it would look like quite a transformation,and In reality I'd have no more hair then before!!!! Any thoughts?? Or is just me!!!

 

Hey Mate,

 

Since, there a many different people taking pics, it be good to know photo you are referring too. I find people on this forum pretty straight. I know that often in the before images, the hair is pulled back to see the hairline, temple or other transplanted areas. Also, many patients change their hairstyle because they actually now have hair. HT is a bona fide natural, permanent and proven method to restore hair. Results do differ, I respectfully disagree. I don't think anyone is trying to show people to be balder then they actually are at all. HTN has one of the most ethical independent forums on the web bar none! All the Best, Michael

Edited September 11, 2012 by michaeljames
typo

[hairshopeing]

Hi Michael, I dont think its necessarily showing people to be balder as such,its exposing the areas clearly that need the work doing,some of that problem area would in day to day be covered by native hair but that person wants to address that area,and as I said that should be shown in all its glory but I think that should also happen post op as well! It's not for me to name names and discredit anyone,the physician's who post like that know that they do and the physician's who don't know that they dont! Some show far more photos from all angles,hair in the same pre and post and they need to be commended,and some not so much! Like I said I dont want to throw mud,just an observation and certainly something I have personally looked at when trying to choose a doctor for my surgery!

[Jotronic]

The number one way to level the playing field among clinics and to get the most out of photos is the complete elimination of flash photography. Flash can be used in very creative and useful ways if you are taking professional portraits of models, architectural photography and even landscape photography. But we are not models and the use of flash COMPLETELY distorts what you see were you to meet the patient in the photo.

 

If you are taking a photo of a hairline with a flash, the density will appear to be twice as high. This is a fact and I've proven it in the past. Each hair in the hairline creates a shadow of itself thus acting like a "Toppik shadow" of sorts. Anyone can prove this to themselves if they like. Just take a picture with and without flash of your hairline from a few feet away, roughly eye level and you will see what I'm talking about.

 

In photography, one of the prime rules to follow is Fermat's Principal in that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. This principal is violated time and time again in hair restoration photos and it is easy to see when taking pics of a crown. When you have a camera on a tri-pod or at a similar height and the patient tilts his head up for the clinic to take a shot of the crown the crown is essentially facing the lens at a right angle, perpendicular. There are variations on this but you get the idea. Once the flash is fired the light from the flash bounces off of the crown and reflects directly back into the open lens. The result is washout and this means that some or even all of the hair in a thin crown can literally disappear before your very eyes. I can take a picture of my crown with flash, then take a second picture without flash and tell you I had 2000 grafts and that both pictures were taken a year apart and no one would think otherwise. The image without flash would show more hair that was always there to begin with.

 

In the past nine years that I've been taking photos of my own hair as well as many many other patients I've learned a lot but this is one of the first things I learned when I started in this business. Since then, I've moved into amateur photography and it took me a long time to want to buy a flash because I am so against it in HT photography. However, I'm learning to love using a flash because there are great things that can be done with one (or multiple) but it has no place in hair restoration photos AT ALL.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Jotronic is a camera pro. He's even personal messaged me a few tips in the past. In spite of that, I do still use flash occasionally and if folks check back in the threads, most of the time, I say that I used flash and I'll frequently put up a non flash too.

 

Its less of an issue at our current office, but as a true ameteur photographer, I do still use flash on occasion.

 

I do endeavor for consistency in preop/postop pictures.

 

Excellent thread.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Bill - Seemiller]

Guys,

 

This is a great post and one of particular interest to me since I've often shared the same concerns. While I agree with Blake and others that top clinics are not intending to deceive patients by using trick photography or inconsistent lighting, backgrounds or hairstyles, I've had to work hard over the years with many top level clinics to teach them how to take the most realistic and accurate photos. That was the primary purpose of my public post "How to Take and Present Realistic and Compelling Photos".

 

I'll admit that I'm not as dogmatic about flash as Joe is however, I agree that photos taken without flash and under natural lighting are more accurate than those with flash, especially indoors. Flash can create shadows making hair appear thicker or thinner depending on the angle whereas photos taken without flash are more consistent. That said, background lighting (whether it be indoors or the angle of the sun or taken in the shade) can also make hair appear thicker or thinner depending on the angle.

 

Thus, to me, the key is consistency. I believe reputable clinics do their best to showcase accurate results but I also know from experience that many leading clnics, while they have no intent to deceive prospective patients, don't understand the basics and importance of photography. What's even more unfortunate, I have seen clinics (none of which are recommended by this community) attempt to use trick photography in a way to make a result appear thicker and fuller than it really is.

 

I remember reading an article presented by the ISHRS (International Society of HairRestoration Surgery) on the importance of taking accurate photos. Thus, the hair restoration doctor community as a whole (at least those who are members of the ISHRS) are at least aware of the importance of taking good quality and realistic photos. The vast majority of them are also well aware of our community, how we prescreen surgeons and how serious we are about taking and presenting detailed and consistent photos showing multiple angles of the scalp before, immediately post-op and after surgery. How many surgeons work to adopt these valuable picture taking and presentation techniques however, is another story.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[michaeljames]

Hi Michael, I dont think its necessarily showing people to be balder as such,its exposing the areas clearly that need the work doing,some of that problem area would in day to day be covered by native hair but that person wants to address that area,and as I said that should be shown in all its glory but I think that should also happen post op as well! It's not for me to name names and discredit anyone,the physician's who post like that know that they do and the physician's who don't know that they dont! Some show far more photos from all angles,hair in the same pre and post and they need to be commended,and some not so much! Like I said I dont want to throw mud,just an observation and certainly something I have personally looked at when trying to choose a doctor for my surgery!

 

Hi Hairshopeing,

 

I think you have clearly stated everything. It is good you brought this forward it can only further enhance the integrity of HTN recommended physicians and the authenticity of forum participation. All the Best.

[hairshopeing]

Thanks Michael,I hope so! Same to you!

[michaeljames]

Hello hairshopeing,

 

The good wishes are always appreciated.

Edited September 19, 2012 by michaeljames
typo