Real vs fake. Photos these days.
Many photos that show before and after of beauty treatments are not showing real results. With the technology and photoshop available to every home computer user it is even harder to decipher real after photos. Many clients tell me all the time about wonder products they have tried with “proof” in the photos. I ask them to bring the photos in and lets examine them under the “reality scope”. Being an artist I have a keen eye for details and light/shadow play after all these are the tricks we use in art to create the illusions in a given piece. Shadow, angles, color and lighting all add to the smoke and mirror effects that I have spent years learning as an artist. I can see detail that most cannot. Many of the photos are simply a trick of lighting and angle.
Here is an example of a “before” and “after” for an over the counter scar treatment product. The claim is that this product produced these results. Looking at the photo I can see this in not the case. First of all the client has acne scars and scars cannot be fixed by any over the counter goop or goo. Period. You can read more about scar treatments in another blog. Notice the trick on lighting and angle. The scars look diminished because of the lighting and the flat angle of the second photo.
There is also suspicious blurring of the
scar area on the second photo and notice the first photo has shadows to exaggerate the scar texture that is absent in the second photo.
This picture is a realistic real photo of a Fraxel
laser treatment for scars. You can tell the photo is the same angle and same lighting with realistic results. The texture has changed realistically and the treatment is a well documented medical procedure that is a laser for scars.
Remember if it is to good to be true it most likely is and real skin treatments that produce results usually require medical intervention. Consult with an expert and ask to see photos the pull out your
“reality scope” and think “hmm, what would Dr Dawn think of this?” . Better yet, email me the pictures and I will tell you exactly what I think. As I always do. I care .