35 mm film vs. digital photography for patient documentation: is it time to change?

35 mm photography is currently the standard method of documenting a patient's appearance and recording the post-operative changes. With rapidly advancing technology, the digital system is now capable of providing vivid pictures that have multiple advantages over conventional 35 mm photography. Namely, digital pictures are comparatively inexpensive to take, can be stored as digital information, easily retrieved, and immediate viewing and imaging are possible. For many applications in plastic surgery patient documentation, digital photography is now more affordable and flexible than the 35 mm film system. The following is a cost and quality comparison between the two systems.