Virtual reality has held a solid spot in the beauty industry for some time now, with makeup try-on apps growing increasingly popular. Now, virtual reality is evolving for medical imaging — specifically, by allowing cosmetic surgery patients to ‘try before they buy’.
MyAesthetics expert aesthetic surgeon and scientific director, Professor Marcos Sforza, explained the workings of VR for cosmetic surgery with Bazaar UK, explaining that one of the latest technologies is the development of VR 3D glasses: “These enable patients to see how they would look after different breast surgeries, from augmentations to reductions – without them having to set foot inside an operating theatre.”
The way the technology works is by scanning the body so that images can then be manipulated “to show potential results from every considered outcome” Sforza explains. “Before and after 3D images can be created from this technology, while viewing simulated enhancements through the glasses”.
While currently solely used for breast procedures (enlargement, reduction, lift, etc.), Sforza revealed that the technology is useful for bypassing technical language and “allow[ing] the patient to literally see what they think would look good and go from there”.
While currently the technology is quite new and is only being purposed for breast augmentation, there are hopes that VR (and accompanying 3D full-immersion glasses) could help a larger audience visualise other reconstructive surgeries.
