New high-tech imaging systems are allowing cosmetic plastic surgery patients to preview their results before entering an operating room.

Devices that offer 3D imaging allow plastic surgeons to take high-resolution pictures of potential patients and show them what their results are likely to look like.

"It allows me to take a patient's picture and then manipulate it and show them what's possible with surgery," a Cleveland-area plastic surgeon who uses the system told WKYC-TV news, an NBC affiliate. "It's very important for a patient to understand what can be accomplished with plastic surgery, and the things that are in the realm of realistic."
According to the news source, the system works by first creating a life-like 3D image of the patient. Then, plastic surgeons use a computer program that allows them to manipulate the picture and show what type of improvements can be made.

"It really helped me to understand what would happen and how I would look," an anonymous patient who previewed her results thanks to a Vectra M3 Imaging system told the news provider. "It managed my expectations, I think, is the best way to put it."

While the system is helpful for giving patients an idea of how they may look after surgical procedures such as facelifts, liposuction, breast augmentation and eyelid surgeries, it can also be used for those who wish to preview their possible expected results using injectables and other non-surgical procedures.

Experts say that this type of technology is similar to patients viewing before and after photos of others who have undergone a particular procedure, as it helps them envision what results they could possibly achieve through the surgery and how they may end up looking.