A high-quality photo assessment is one of the most useful tools available to hair loss patients — allowing a specialist to give a meaningful initial evaluation without requiring a trip to London. Getting the photographs right is essential to receiving an accurate and useful assessment.
Lighting is the most important factor. Natural daylight is ideal — either outdoors on an overcast day or near a window. Avoid direct overhead lighting (which creates harsh shadows on the scalp) and flash photography (which flattens the image and conceals texture and density differences). The aim is even, diffuse light that shows the scalp clearly.
You need photographs from five angles as a minimum: top (looking directly down at the crown), front (hairline facing camera, head level), both temples (showing the temporal recession), and the back (showing the potential donor area). A sixth photo showing the natural parting — wherever you wear it — is also very useful.
Hair should be clean and dry. Wet hair flattens and appears denser than it is; dry hair in its natural state gives a more accurate picture. Do not use any product before your assessment photos.
Use your phone’s rear camera rather than the front camera — rear cameras have significantly better resolution and produce sharper images. Get a family member or friend to take the top and back photographs rather than attempting these awkward angles yourself.
Good photographs allow a surgeon to give a meaningful assessment of your Norwood Stage, donor density, and surgical candidacy. Poor photographs result in a generic response that is of limited value.
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