Why photography is so important for dermatology.

Pictures, they say, are worth a thousand words. I would absolutely agree. Photographs of a patient’s skin provide me with so much useful and detailed information, making the camera one of the most important tools that I use in the clinic.

I like to photograph everyone right from the get-go. On their first visit to see me, patients become well aware that they will be put behind the bright lights of my studio/ observation/ treatment room, as it is there that I will both look at their skin and, as well, photograph as much of their troubled spots as possible. The idea here is to create a very detailed record.

Most everyones memory is poor. I know mine can be, especially when it comes to the minute details of a patients skin problem. I have often seen 60 or more patients in a week. Trying to keep track of what exactly everyone has going on with them is pretty difficult. Even patients themselves forget how bad they may have been, several months in the past. The photographs become our beacon of memory, from which to properly judge progress, or the lack of it.

Most everybody loves the fact that I photograph, because the photos really do offer hope. They can see with their owns eyes how well they have been doing. Often times, changes may come about slowly and are thus hard to judge on a day to day process. Pictures taken every month offer up a good track record for success.

I always wanted to be, or I should rephrase that, I always have been a scientist at heart. Ever since I was really young, I loved to observe the world and think about how it works. I loved to conduct “experiments” to see how x plus y could equal z. By photographing my skin patients I have a better gauge, scientific record, of the results of my experiment. This skin disorder (x) plus these herbs (y) equals this outcome (z). The picture becomes the truth teller for if the experiment, or treatment, was effective. There really is no arguing these kinds of records.

This obviously appeals to the “skeptic” in me as well. That part of me that has been so habitualized by western biochemical thought – thinking anything “natural” must, absolutely must, involve some sort of  “snake oil” antics. The photo allows me to see the true beauty of natural herbal medicine, as organized by the very systematic methods of Chinese medical theory. That without a doubt, it works!

Dr. Trevor Erikson