Computer imaging is the state-of-the-art technology that enables a plastic surgeon to show a patient his or her surgically-corrected image in full color before surgery. The patient's picture is taken with a special video camera, and the image is displayed on both sides of a split television screen.

About Digital Imaging - Patients watch on screen as they are guided from their current appearance to a representative post-operative outcome. Patients who see a Mirror simulation are better informed—having seen what is surgically feasible and what is not.

The pre-operative image is on one side and remains the same. The image on the other side is changed as the patient watches, and he or she can then say whether that is the specific desired look. If not, the picture is changed until the patient and the physician both see what the patient has in mind. Therefore, computer imaging can be an important tool to define more precisely the patient's needs and goals and the surgeon's abilities and limitations.