Hair Pulled Back in the Clinical Photo: What Must Show

Hair is one of the elements that most interferes with how a clinical photo reads and one of the easiest to solve. It covers the forehead, hides the temples, blocks the ears and, when long, falls over the neck and jaw. If the goal is to assess the face, it needs to be out of the way.

More than an aesthetic detail, it is a matter of method: what the hair hides in the before photo cannot be compared in the after, and a change of hairstyle between visits changes the perceived shape, size and volume of the face.

What needs to show?

The clinical face photo is a map of reference points. For it to be complete, the hair should leave these clear:

• The entire forehead, from the hairline to the eyebrows, to assess the frontal lines and the upper third;
• The temples, especially in volume or toxin concerns (see photo of the temples in documentation);
• The ears, which help check symmetry and head rotation;
• The jaw and neck, to assess the contour and the cervicomental angle;
• The hairline, which serves as a proportion reference for the upper third.

How do I best pull the hair back?

The ideal is a simple solution that leaves no marks and does not pull on the skin.

1. Comb back with the fingers or a wide-tooth comb, without pressing.
2. Tie behind the ears, with a plain elastic or neutral clip, and not over them.
3. Use a plain band for the bangs, in a discreet color, placed just behind the hairline.
4. Check on the screen that the forehead, temples and ears are clear.
5. Ask the patient to relax the face after tying, because the gesture usually lifts the eyebrows.

Avoid colored clips, bows and adornments that draw attention. They enter the frame and distract the eye.

Each hair type, one solution

What about a beard?

In male patients, a beard covers the jaw and part of the chin, which are assessment areas in many concerns. If the goal is the jawline, the photo without a beard (or with a closely trimmed beard) documents better. If the patient prefers to keep it, record it and repeat the same condition at the follow-up. More details in photo of the masseter and jawline.

How do I handle differences between visits?

Patients change their hair: they cut it, dye it, let it grow. This can happen between one visit and the next, and the before and after end up with different framing. The solution is to always tie it the same way and note when there is a relevant change, such as a bangs cut.

Hair and toxin in the forehead

To assess the dynamic lines of the forehead, bangs and hair in front of the eyebrows prevent seeing the contraction of the frontalis muscle. In these cases, the photo with a clear forehead and the expression of raising the eyebrows is the one that documents. Read photo of the forehead with raised eyebrows and dynamic photos for botulinum toxin.

And in Harmy?

The app detects the face in the frontal photo, on the device, and marks the points of the areas. Hair covering the forehead, temples or jaw interferes with reading the points, and the projection keeps the hair as it is. For a more faithful illustrative simulation, not a promise of results, pull the hair back as described on this page and follow standardized frontal photo. The problem shows up especially in Temple and Jawline.

Summary for the routine

Tie the hair behind the ears, move the bangs aside without pulling the skin, check forehead, temples, ears and neck, and repeat the same hairstyle at later visits. The photo is cleaner, the assessment complete and the comparison loses one source of noise.

For the complete set of preparations, see standardized clinical photography.

How do I keep the preparation ready in the room?

Keep a simple kit in the photo room: plain bands in neutral colors, undecorated elastics, discreet clips, a wide-tooth comb and a small mirror for the patient to check they are comfortable. Sanitize whatever touches the hair between patients. With the kit at hand, the preparation takes less than a minute and no longer depends on what the patient brought that day, which also helps repeat the same result at the follow-up visit.