Smile, smirk, or blow a kiss. Selfies have been taken to a whole new level with the commercial availability of head CT scans by start up company, Selfie CT. Instead of a flat generic Instagramed-Photoshoped-cropped selfie, you can now apply filters and effects to your 3-dimensional reconstructed head CT scan.
The concept is simple: pick your facial pose, consider adding your hands to the pose, and hold for 30 seconds. The technologists need 35 minutes for processing and reconstruction, after which the scan is available to the customer for filters and editing. The final product is saved on a flash drive, and voila! You are ready to post your scan to all of your favorite social media outlets for your friends and family to admire and, most importantly, “like.”
“The selfie CT captures more of my essence,” says selfie enthusiast Mary Jenkins. “The old selfie was all about spending hours and thousands of pictures finding the right angle to make me look more attractive.”
Head CT selfie includes the whole head, making posing in the scanner the new trick to a successful selfie. “Anyone can take enough selfie photographs to get a good one,” says Jenkins. “But a good selfie CT takes a beautiful head and artful pose.”
Several packages are available with the the most basic being a “Head Shot” starting at $450 to take the best of 3 scans. If you want a “Check Your Marbles Selfie” package with a radiology read just to be sure your head looks okay on the inside, it’s an additional $900. Although, don’t be surprised to get a “clinical correlation and MRI recommended” dictation.
Radiation doses involved in the CT scan make this new trend controversial. FDA officials have mandated an extensive consent and waiver process, and an age requirement of 18 and older. 17-year-old selfie lovers are outraged, and currently the Selfie CT is only available to those younger than 18 years old with a doctor’s prescription. High schools have banned the selfie from yearbooks, so as to not support a potentially hazardous activity.
FDA concerns about radiation have not slowed the enthusiasm for this new fad. The company was trending within hours of the first Instagramed selfie. Holiday specials are available for unique Christmas cards and gifts for the hard to buy for relative. The company is working on a whole body selfie, which they hope to find a lower radiation option to make available within the year.
An excited Facebook user enthusiastically said, “I can’t wait to show off my spleen selfie on Facebook! Maybe next year I won’t have to wait anymore.”
