Digital Simulation in HOF: Uses, Limits and Ethics
Quick facts
- What it is
- Software-generated image that illustrates, from a photo, how an area might look after a procedure, as support for the planning conversation.
- What it is for
- Aligning expectations, communicating the plan, helping the patient decide and documenting what was agreed.
- What it is not
- Not a prediction, a guarantee or proof of results; it does not account for individual biological response.
- Core caution
- Patient consent, a simulation notice on every image and a ban on using the simulation as if it were an actual result.
Digital simulation entered HOF routine for a simple reason: patients decide better when they can see what is being proposed. A sentence like "I will project the cheekbone a little" can mean very different things to the speaker and to the listener. The image shortens that distance, and that is exactly why it calls for care: the tool that aligns expectations can also create false ones.
This page covers uses, technical limits, ethical and data protection aspects, and good practice in the consultation. It is a review. Advertising and ethics rules vary between professional councils and change over time, and should be checked directly with your council and the current regulations (in Brazil).
What can digital simulation do well?
Simulation is a communication tool. Within that role, it serves four purposes.
- Aligning vocabulary. The patient and the professional talk about the same face, not different mental images.
- Reducing anxiety. Seeing a subtle change can reassure someone who fears looking "artificial."
- Supporting the decision. Comparing versions (more subtle and more pronounced) helps the patient choose consciously.
- Documenting what was agreed. Saving the projection with a date records what was presented and accepted.
The conversation is more productive when the image comes after the clinical assessment: the professional has already examined, knows what is indicated and uses the simulation to show a possibility, not to invent an indication.
What can simulation not do?
There are technical and conceptual limits that must be clear to the professional and to the patient.
| Limit | What it means |
|---|---|
| Does not predict the result | Individual biological response, product, technique and time are not part of the calculation |
| Does not measure anatomy | The image cannot see deep structures, vessels, ligaments or thickness |
| Depends on the photo | Light, angle, expression and resolution change what the software "understands" |
| It is a generated image | It may show variations that match no actual result |
| Does not replace the indication | It does not say whether the procedure is appropriate, safe or necessary |
With generative AI technologies, there is also the risk of the image containing elements that should not be there. The glossary entry hallucination in image AI explains the phenomenon. That is why it matters that the tool limits what it changes and that the professional checks the result before showing it.
What are the ethical precautions?
The ethics of simulation revolve around honesty with the patient and with the public.
- Notice on every image. The phrase "illustrative simulation, not a promise of results" must accompany any display or sending.
- Never as a result. Never present a simulation as if it were an actual result photo, either in the consultation or on social media. The page what you can advertise: CFO and CONAR covers the topic; check your council's rules.
- No sales pressure. The image should not be used to create urgency or to induce procedures the patient did not ask for. See how to compliment without inducing a procedure.
- No unfair comparison. Avoid placing the simulation next to actual results from other patients.
- Respect for autonomy. The patient may decline the simulation, want another version or give up on the procedure.
What about data protection?
A photo of a face is personal data and, when it allows the person to be identified, falls into the category of facial biometric data. The LGPD (Brazil's General Data Protection Law) requires a clear purpose, a legal basis and security. If the tool sends the image for processing on a third-party server, the patient must be told, with the acceptance recorded.
Points to watch:
- Tell the patient what the photo will be used for, where it will be processed and how long it will be kept.
- Record specific consent for the simulation, separate from consent for the procedure.
- Do not share the simulation on open channels without the patient's wish.
- Delete or anonymize when the patient asks or when the purpose ends, observing the legal retention periods for the patient record.
More details in consent and LGPD for photos and in the glossary entry facial biometric data.
How do you use simulation in the consultation?
How you present it matters as much as the image. A few habits make its use safe and effective.
A simple sequence helps keep the consultation on track.
The pages on presenting the projection in the consultation and what never to say when showing the simulation detail the script. For a patient who reacts badly to the image, see patient does not like the simulation.
What if the patient wants more than planned?
It is common for patients to ask for "a little more" when they see the simulation. At that moment, the professional must remember that the indication does not change because of what an image shows. If the request fits the clinical assessment, the proposal can be adjusted. If it does not, explain why. The volumes that appear in the simulation are not necessarily the ones that will be injected; the decision on volume, product and technique belongs to the professional, after assessment.
Simulation, sales and consent
Simulation is a powerful consultative selling tool, but only as long as the selling stays consultative. If the image becomes a pressure argument, trust is lost. From a legal standpoint, a promise of results, even an implicit one, can create liability. The informed consent should state that the simulation is illustrative and that results may vary.
Where Harmy fits in
Harmy was designed with these concerns in mind. The projection uses only a frontal photo, and the app detects the face on the device itself. The image is generated by third-party AI, with the professional's acceptance in the app, and changes only what was marked. The intention is an honest, subtle, realistic projection.
Want to try it without a patient? The app has a fictional example person.
Takeaways
Digital simulation is a communication tool: it brings professional and patient closer, as long as it is honest. It does not predict results, does not replace assessment, needs consent and a notice on every image, and cannot be advertised as an actual result. The more subtle and realistic the projection, the lower the risk of disappointment.
Frequently asked questions
Does digital simulation show how I will look after the procedure?
It shows a plausible illustration, not a prediction. The actual result depends on anatomy, product, technique and the body's response, which no image can predict. That is why a simulation must always come with the notice that it is illustrative.
Can I use the simulation on Instagram?
Not as if it were a result. Posting a simulation as a before and after can mislead the public and go against the advertising rules of your professional council and of CONAR (Brazil's advertising self-regulation body). Check the current rules before publishing any image.
Does the simulation need the patient's consent?
Yes. A photo of the face is sensitive personal data, and processing it with software, especially when it involves third-party AI, requires clear information and consent. Record the acceptance in the patient record.
Does digital simulation replace clinical assessment?
No. It is a communication tool that comes after the assessment, not before. Indication, volume and technique are decisions of the qualified professional, after examining the patient.
Harmy images are illustrative simulations generated by AI from the patient's photo to support the conversation between practitioner and patient. They are not a promise of results. Indication, technique, product and volume are solely the decision of the licensed practitioner. This content is for information only and does not replace a clinical assessment.