diff --git a/src/ups/profiles/dao.js b/src/ups/profiles/dao.js
index 501bd88..877891d 100644
--- a/src/ups/profiles/dao.js
+++ b/src/ups/profiles/dao.js
@@ -44,10 +44,14 @@ function getProfile(profileNumber, tagferId) {
  * @returns {object} Object containing a Promise that contains the result of uploading profile image, and the image url | {promise, imageURL}
  */
 
-async function updateProfileImage(profileImageData, profileNumber, tagferId, res) {
+async function updateProfileImage(profileImageData, profileNumber, tagferId) {
   //persist profile image data to firebase storage
-  var downloadURL = await utils.uploadImage(profileImageData, `${tagferId}-profile${profileNumber}`, appConfig.buckets.profile, res);
-  return { promise: database.ref(`/profiles/${tagferId}/profile${profileNumber}/photoURL`).set(downloadURL), imageURL: downloadURL };
+  try {
+    var downloadURL = await utils.uploadImage(profileImageData, `${tagferId}-profile${profileNumber}`, appConfig.buckets.profile);
+    return { promise: database.ref(`/profiles/${tagferId}/profile${profileNumber}/photoURL`).set(downloadURL), imageURL: downloadURL };
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw error;
+  }
 }
 
 module.exports = {
diff --git a/src/ups/profiles/handlers.js b/src/ups/profiles/handlers.js
index 1c4e300..2e64c3f 100644
--- a/src/ups/profiles/handlers.js
+++ b/src/ups/profiles/handlers.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ const authDao = require('../auth/dao');
 const utils = require('../utils/utils');
 const errors = require('../../config/errors');
 const http = require('../../config/http');
-const _ = require('lodash');
 
 // Handlers
 /**
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@ async function updateUserProfileImage(req, res) {
 
   try {
     const tagferId = authDao.getSession(sessionId).tagferId;
-    const result = await profileDao.updateProfileImage(profileImageObj, req.params.profileNumber, tagferId, res)
+    const result = await profileDao.updateProfileImage(profileImageObj, req.params.profileNumber, tagferId);
     result.promise.then(() => {
       res.status(http.OK).json({ imageURL: result.imageURL });
     }).catch((error) => {
diff --git a/src/ups/utils/utils.js b/src/ups/utils/utils.js
index 9284d17..ac6c1d0 100644
--- a/src/ups/utils/utils.js
+++ b/src/ups/utils/utils.js
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 const OAuth   = require('oauth-1.0a');
 const crypto  = require('crypto');
-
 const appConfig =  require('../../config/app.json');
 const http =  require('../../config/http');
 const errors =  require('../../config/errors');
-const UUID = require('uuid/v4');
 const firebase = require('firebase-admin');
 
 /**
@@ -81,22 +79,14 @@ function createOAuthHeader(request, app) {
  * 
  * @returns {*} imageURL
  */
-async function uploadImage(imageData, path, bucketName, res) {
+async function uploadImage(imageData, path, bucketName) {
   try {
-    const bucket = await firebase.storage().bucket(`gs://${bucketName}`);
+    const bucket = firebase.storage().bucket(`gs://${bucketName}`);
 
     var file = bucket.file(`${path}.${appConfig.imageFormat[imageData.metaData.contentType]}`);
-    const uuid = UUID();
-    var imageBuffer = new Buffer(imageData.base64Data, 'base64');
+    var imageBuffer = Buffer.from(imageData.base64Data, 'base64');
 
     await file.save(imageBuffer, {
-      metaData: {
-        contentType: imageData.metaData.contentType,
-        metadata: {
-          firebaseStorageDownloadTokens: uuid
-        }
-      },
-      public: true,
       validation: 'md5',
     });
 
@@ -105,8 +95,7 @@ async function uploadImage(imageData, path, bucketName, res) {
     return fileMetaData[0].mediaLink;
 
   } catch (error) {
-    res.status(http.INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR).json({error});
-    return null;
+    throw error;
   }
 }