Sending wound photos to your doctor: useful pictures, kept private.

Before sending wound photos to your doctor, ask how

Sending wound photos to your doctor or wound clinician can be useful between visits, but only if the office is set up to receive and review them. Ask first. Find out whether the practice wants photos, which tool to use, who looks at them and how soon. A photo sent to an inbox nobody checks can give false comfort. The clinician who reviews your photos may be a physician, a podiatrist (DPM) or a nurse practitioner, depending on your needs.

Photos and video add to hands-on care and do not replace it. The treating clinician decides when a remote check-in is appropriate, as our page on telehealth wound follow-up describes.

What a photo can and cannot show

A good photo shows where the wound is, its rough size and shape, the color of the tissue and the skin around it. A series taken the same way shows change.

A photo cannot show depth, warmth, firmness, odor or pain. Cameras adjust color and brightness automatically, so the same wound can look different from phone to phone, and redness can be hard to see, particularly on darker skin. Your own words matter as much as the image. Our guide to describing wound changes to your care team can help.

How to take a useful wound photo

1. Time it with a dressing change. Do not remove a dressing just to take a picture unless the clinician has asked you to.
2. Wash your hands and set out what you need to cover the wound again.
3. Use even light. Daylight near a window works well. Avoid shadows, and turn off the flash if it causes glare.
4. Use a plain background, such as a clean, solid-color towel.
5. Take two views. One from far enough back to show the body part, and one close up.
6. Hold the camera straight on. An angled shot distorts size and shape.
7. Add something for scale if the office asks, such as a disposable paper ruler beside the wound, not touching it.
8. Check the result. Retake a blurry photo.

Use the same spot, light and distance each time so photos can be compared. If you cannot reach the wound, ask a helper to take the picture.

What to send with the photo

A picture without context is hard to interpret. Include:

• Your name and date of birth, if the office’s tool does not already identify you
• The date and time of the photo
• Which wound it is, if you have more than one
• What has changed: drainage, odor, pain, swelling or color
• The question you want answered

Keeping wound photos private

A wound photo is health information. Treat it with the same care as a lab report.

• Use the practice’s method. A patient portal or the secure tool the office gives you is safer than ordinary text or email, which may not be protected.
• Leave out what is not needed. Keep your face, tattoos and jewelry out of the frame when you can.
• Check where photos go. Phones often copy pictures to shared family albums or cloud accounts. Check those settings.
• Do not post them. Social media and group chats are not the place to ask for wound advice.
• Get permission. If you are photographing someone else, ask them first, or ask the person who legally makes their health decisions.

Please do not send photos to Gateway through our website form or by ordinary email. Our privacy notice explains what the website collects. In a facility, ask the nurse about the photo policy first.

Getting ready for a video visit

For a live video check-in, charge the device, test the camera and sound, and sit where the connection is strong. A helper can hold the phone. Some people also use video for general medical follow-up through telehealth primary care visits.

Whether a plan pays for video visits or photo review varies by plan and practice. Ask both beforehand. Our insurance page lists questions to start with.

When a photo is not enough

Do not rely on a photo when something is clearly wrong. Call the treating clinician’s office about spreading redness, new warmth or swelling, pus, a stronger odor, fever, chills or worsening pain, and say that you need a call back. Our guide to the signs of wound infection explains these changes. For bleeding that will not stop, chest pain, trouble breathing or sudden confusion, call 911.

To ask about wound care or remote check-ins in Greater St. Louis or the Metro East, call 314-325-0126 or request care with a name and phone number.

Common questions

Related pages

• Telehealth wound follow-up
• Telehealth visits
• Describing a wound change
• Signs of wound infection
• Insurance and coverage
• Request care
• How mobile wound care visits work
• What happens during a home visit