Virtual Consultation Harris Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics

A virtual consultation is a first conversation that happens before anyone travels. For patients outside Los Angeles, and for patients within it who would rather not take half a day out to find out whether a procedure is even appropriate, it removes a step that often did not need to be taken in person.

It is a starting point rather than a substitute for an in-person assessment. What it does well is establish whether a concern is treatable, which procedures are worth considering, and what the realistic next step is. What it cannot do is replace an examination, and the section below on its limits is there because setting that expectation early avoids disappointment later.

What a Virtual Consultation Covers

The useful ground a virtual consultation covers is broader than most patients expect.

It establishes what is actually bothering the patient, which is not always the same as the procedure they arrived asking about. Someone convinced they need an eyelid procedure may have a brow position issue. Someone asking about a facelift may be describing changes concentrated in the neck. Sorting that out early changes which page of the site is relevant and which questions matter.

It narrows the options. Where several procedures could address a concern, the conversation covers how they differ in scope, downtime and what they are capable of. A patient weighing a mini facelift against an extended deep plane facelift is really asking about how much change is wanted and how much recovery is acceptable, and that is a conversation that works remotely.

It covers what is involved. Recovery timelines, what the first two weeks look like, when someone can return to work, and what the restrictions are. These are the practical details that determine whether a procedure fits into someone's life at all.

And it establishes whether an in-person consultation is worth scheduling, which saves a journey where the answer is no.

What to Prepare

The quality of a virtual consultation depends almost entirely on the quality of the photographs.

Take them in daylight, near a window, with the light coming from in front rather than behind. Overhead lighting casts shadows that exaggerate hollows and folds, and backlighting hides the detail that matters. No filters, no beauty-mode smoothing, and no makeup, since all three obscure exactly the skin texture and contour being assessed.

Five views are standard: straight on, both sides in full profile, and both sides at a forty-five degree angle. Keep the head level rather than tilted up or down, since tilting changes the apparent position of the jawline and neck considerably.

For a nasal concern, add a view looking up at the base of the nose. For eyelid concerns, one photograph with eyes open in a relaxed natural position and one with eyes closed. For neck or jawline concerns, one looking straight ahead and one with the chin slightly raised.

It also helps to note down the specific things that prompted the inquiry, any previous facial surgery or injectable treatment and roughly when, and any relevant medical history or medication. Patients who have had previous surgery elsewhere should mention it even if it was years ago and even if it was minor, because it affects what a subsequent procedure can do.

What a Virtual Consultation Cannot Determine

Photographs are two-dimensional and the face is not.

Skin quality, meaning its thickness, elasticity and how it behaves when moved, cannot be assessed from an image. That property is central to planning procedures such as a facelift or a neck lift, because it determines how the tissue will redrape.

Underlying bone structure, the position of the facial fat compartments, and how tissues sit relative to one another are assessed by examination rather than from a photograph. For nasal concerns, the internal structure of the nose and the state of the airway cannot be evaluated from the outside at all, which is why septoplasty and functional nasal work always require an in-person assessment.

For these reasons a virtual consultation produces a direction and a shortlist rather than a definitive surgical plan. The plan itself is confirmed in person.

What Happens Next

Patients who decide to proceed move to an in-person consultation, where the examination takes place and the plan is finalized. Those traveling from outside the area will find practical detail on nearby accommodation, airports and recovery logistics on the out-of-town patients page.

Surgical procedures are performed at the practice's accredited private surgical suite in Beverly Hills. Information on payment and financing options is on the financing page.

It is also worth looking through the before and after gallery and reading patient testimonials before the conversation, since both tend to produce better questions. Background on Dr. William Harris is available on his profile page.

To request a virtual consultation, complete the form above. To speak to the practice directly, use the contact page.