Sharing a Patient Photo With Another Professional

In orofacial harmonization, asking a colleague for an opinion is common and healthy: a doubtful complication, a difficult asymmetry case, a referral to another specialty. With the phone in your hand, the temptation is to snap the photo and send it. But an image of the patient's face is personal data, and whoever receives it takes on responsibility for it. The workflow needs rules.

This page organizes sharing a photo with another professional into practical steps, without replacing legal advice for your case.

What are the most common scenarios?

What does the LGPD require in these cases?

The LGPD (Brazil's General Data Protection Law) requires that data processing have a specific purpose, be limited to what is necessary and be secure. For health data, the precautions are greater. In practical terms:

• Purpose: the reason for sending must be clear, such as "second opinion on asymmetry after filler".
• Necessity: send only what your colleague needs. If they only need to see the lip area, do not send the whole face.
• Transparency: the patient should know that their case may be discussed with another professional.
• Security: the channel and the storage on the other end count too.

For your specific case, consult a legal professional. The rules of your professional council in Brazil may include specific provisions on confidentiality and sharing.

Does the consent form need to provide for this?

Ideally, yes. The informed consent form can include a clause stating that, at clinical discretion, data and images may be shared with other professionals involved in care, for the purpose of treatment. The patient should have the chance to say no.

How do you send it securely?

1. Choose the channel. Prefer a system with access control (electronic medical record, encrypted corporate email, secure telemedicine platform) over open messaging chats.
2. Reduce the image. Crop to the relevant area and remove the name, date of birth and documents that appear in the frame.
3. Strip the metadata. Phone photos carry date, time and location (see metadata and location in patient photos).
4. Write the clinical context in a short text: age, concern, procedure performed, time since treatment.
5. Agree on the purpose and ask your colleague to delete the photo when the discussion ends.
6. Record it in the chart that the case was shared, with date and recipient.

What about the colleagues' WhatsApp group?

It is the most used channel and one of the least secure. The reasons: messages stay on many devices, participants can forward them, photos go to members' galleries and the group grows without control. If the clinic uses a group to discuss cases, the minimum rule is to have few participants, only those involved, never the patient's name and no photo without a purpose.

See more in patient photos on personal WhatsApp.

What should you tell the patient?

When the patient refuses, record it and continue with whatever is possible within your own care. In serious complications, immediate care comes first, and the regulations of your professional council must be followed.

What about Harmy?

Harmy is not a sharing channel between professionals. It generates the "after" projection from a front-facing photo and keeps a history per patient. The photo is sent to a third-party AI to generate the image, with the professional's acceptance in the app. The app's sharing image, with before and after and the simulation notice, is meant for talking with the patient, not as a clinical opinion between colleagues.

Summary for your routine

Have a purpose, send the minimum, choose a secure channel, inform the patient, strip the metadata, ask for deletion at the end and record it in the chart. This flow takes a few minutes and protects the patient, your colleague and you. For the overall organization of photos, see storing patient photos and consent and LGPD in patient photos.

What if the other professional asks for more photos?

It is common for a colleague to ask for other views, a video or a photo with expression. Before sending, check that the request is still within the agreed purpose and that the patient is aware. Sending more images than necessary increases risk without improving the opinion. If needed, offer a video call on a secure channel instead of transferring files, and record in the chart what was discussed and what was decided.