Choosing a surgeon

Why This Practice Does Not Publish Before/After Photos

Dr Danie Hoffmann3 min read

HPCSA guidance restricts the public display of patient photographs and testimonials in medical marketing. We follow it.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa places clear limits on how doctors may advertise their services. Public display of patient before/after photographs and testimonials — particularly in a way that promises specific outcomes — is restricted, because it is very difficult for a member of the public to interpret those images accurately.

Photographs of another person's result cannot tell you what your own result will look like. Two patients with what looks like the same starting point can have very different anatomy underneath. Instead, this practice discusses expected outcomes with drawings, measurements and honest language in the consultation itself.

Where you are considering a specific operation, ask what the surgeon's revision rate is for that procedure, what the range of outcomes has been, and what would be planned specifically for your anatomy. Those are the honest questions — and they give you more information than any gallery.

Educational content only. Results vary between individuals and all surgery carries risk. Every plan begins with an unhurried consultation and an examination — never a quote over the phone.

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Reading is a start. The next step is an individual examination and a written surgical plan — never a quote over the phone.

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