What is VISIA skin analysis?
VISIA skin analysis is an imaging study of the facial skin: in a few minutes it captures and measures spots, wrinkles, texture, pores, sun damage beneath the surface, vascular redness and porphyrins. It is not a treatment —it is the measurement that lets you indicate the right treatment and later confirm whether it worked.
The difference from looking in a mirror is that the measurement is reproducible: the camera always takes the same photographs, with the same light and the same position, so two studies taken apart in time can be compared without the distortion of memory or of the bathroom lighting at home.
Beyond measuring, the system compares: it places each parameter of your skin in a percentile against people of your own age and phototype. That first study is archived and becomes the starting point —the baseline— against which any later progress is measured.
It is not the same as a filtered selfie or a phone photo: the device controls the light, the framing and the focus so that the images are clinically comparable. That is why the same sun damage a mirror misses shows up in the study as a map, and why a small improvement —hard to perceive by eye— can be confirmed as a real change in the figures.
Techniques Dr. Arístides Arellano uses
The study is not a single photograph: it combines several capture modes, and each one reveals a different layer of the skin that the eye cannot separate on its own.
- Standard light — records the visible surface: spots, wrinkles, enlarged pores and texture, as seen with the naked eye but measured and quantified.
- Cross-polarised light — looks beneath the surface and separates vascular redness (capillaries, rosacea, inflammation) from the pigment component.
- Ultraviolet light — reveals accumulated sun damage not yet visible and porphyrins, a marker of bacterial and sebum activity inside the pore.
- Eight scored parameters — spots, pores, wrinkles, texture, UV spots, deep brown spots, redness and porphyrins, each with its value and its percentile by age.
- Equipment and archive — the study is performed with VISIA, by Canfield (United States), multispectral facial imaging; it is archived to be repeated and compared, which is where half of its value lies.
How is it done?
The analysis is done in a single visit and takes a few minutes. You rest your face in the device, the captures with the different lights are taken in seconds, and the software generates a report reviewed with you in the same appointment. No special preparation, no pain and no recovery: you leave exactly as you arrived.
It is best to come without makeup and with clean skin, because makeup hides spots and redness and skews the measurement. The report translates each parameter into a number and an image, and on that basis it is explained what should be treated, in what order, and what can be re-measured to confirm the result.
The study is saved so it can be repeated later under the same conditions. That archive is half the value: it lets you re-measure after a few months and compare figure against figure, which is the only honest way to know whether a facial treatment is truly working rather than merely feeling like it is.
Every medical treatment —topicals, peels and energy-based devices included— carries risk and requires a prior assessment. In darker skin (Fitzpatrick IV–VI, the most common phototypes in Mexico) a poorly indicated procedure can darken the patch instead of lightening it. Results may vary according to each patient, their phototype and their individual triggers.
Who is a good candidate?
Almost anyone who wants to start from objective data before investing in their skin is a good candidate, as is anyone already in treatment who wants to confirm whether it is truly progressing. It is an imaging study with no physical contraindications: nothing is cut, nothing is injected and there is no recovery.
- Anyone considering a facial aesthetic treatment who wants a measured baseline before starting.
- Anyone with sun damage or pigmentation —very common in darker Mexican skin— who needs to know how much lies beneath the surface, not only what is visible.
- Anyone already in treatment who wants to measure real progress after a few months, rather than judge it from memory.
- Anyone weighing several options who wants a basis for deciding which one addresses their main concern.
- It does not replace the medical consultation: the analysis measures skin quality, it does not diagnose lesions. Any suspicious spot or mole is assessed separately with the relevant specialist.
Recommended after-treatment care
The VISIA report translates into a plan: what to treat, in what order and with what follow-up. When that plan includes a procedure such as a facelift, the after-care is what makes the difference in the result. See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.
Before and after
Most patients want to see before-and-after photographs before deciding. Out of respect for each person’s privacy, Dr. Arístides Arellano shows real cases —always with documented consent— during your in-person consultation, where you can review results from patients with a starting point similar to yours. Results may vary from patient to patient.
Approximate price
The cost of VISIA skin analysis is defined at your consultation, because it is usually built into the facial treatment plan rather than quoted in isolation. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano. See the price list.
About Dr. Arístides Arellano
Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence: he practises under a Mexican medical licence (D.G.P. 1125959) and a specialty licence in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (0002008), both issued by the Directorate General of Professions (DGP), which reissued his certificate of professional standing in 2025. His career began before Mexico’s present-day specialty-board system existed: he belongs to the founding generation of plastic surgery in Puebla, the second generation of a surgical tradition started in 1971 by Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo. Trust is verified, not promised: both licences are public and anyone can look them up in the DGP’s National Registry of Professionals.
Related patient guide
Before choosing where to have a facial analysis and who will interpret the results, it helps to know how to tell an accredited professional apart. Read the guide how to choose a plastic surgeon in Puebla.
Trust is verified, not promised. All 210 scanned documents —degree, licences, diplomas, publications and certificates, from 1977 to 2025— are open in Dr. Arístides Arellano’s credential archive, alongside an explanation of the difference between a specialty licence and a board certification.
The plan · what happens after the analysis
- Same dayThe analysis is performed and the results are reviewed in the same visit: each skin parameter with its number and its percentile by age. No pain, no injections and no recovery.
- Week 1The plan is set from the data: what to treat, in what order and with what realistic expectation, according to what the baseline shows.
- During treatmentThe indicated plan is carried out. Skin changes are gradual and not always visible in a mirror in the short term, which is why they are measured rather than judged from memory.
- Follow-up reviewThe analysis is repeated and compared against the baseline study. This is where you find out, with data rather than impression, whether the treatment is working; if not, it is adjusted.
Frequently asked questions
What does VISIA skin analysis measure?
It measures and quantifies the state of the facial skin: spots, wrinkles, texture, pores, UV sun damage beneath the surface, vascular redness and porphyrins. Each parameter is given a value and a percentile against people of the same age, so you get objective data rather than an impression.
Does VISIA analysis hurt or need recovery time?
No to both. It is an imaging study: nothing is cut, nothing is injected and there is no recovery period. It takes a few minutes in a single visit and you walk out exactly as you walked in. You should just come without makeup so as not to skew the measurement.
How often should the analysis be repeated?
To track a treatment, it is usually repeated after a few months and then periodically. The comparison is the real value: one study tells you how the skin is today; two studies tell you where it is heading, which is the question that actually matters.
Does the analysis replace the specialist consultation?
No. It is a measurement tool that supports the decision, not a medical diagnosis. It measures skin quality, but it does not evaluate lesions: any suspicious spot or mole is assessed separately with the relevant specialist.
Is it useful on darker skin or higher phototypes?
Yes, and it is especially useful there. In darker Mexican skin, pigmentation and accumulated sun damage are common, and the analysis shows them beneath the surface before they are visible, which helps indicate the right treatment and avoid one that could darken a patch instead of lightening it.
Do I need to come without makeup?
Yes, ideally with clean skin and no makeup. Makeup hides spots and redness and alters the measurement, so the study would not reflect the real state of the skin nor serve as a reliable baseline to compare against later.
Every case is different. Discuss yours in a personal consultation.
Book a consultation on WhatsAppEvery figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.
Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.