Artificial intelligence is becoming part of nearly every industry, and aesthetic medicine is no exception. From apps that analyze your face to platforms that recommend treatments, AI-generated treatment plans are becoming increasingly common.
But how accurate are they? And can technology truly replace an in-person consultation? In this blog, Dr. Lisa Ishii explores the potential benefits and limitations of using AI to guide aesthetic treatment decisions.
The Rise of AI in Aesthetic Medicine
There are two main ways AI is being incorporated into aesthetic medicine: optimizing clinic workflow and clinical applications.
AI can be sometimes useful in optimizing clinic workflow and improving the patient experience. For example, AI-powered systems can help with routine questions, provide patients with additional information about procedures, and facilitate communication before and after an appointment. This allows patients to access general information more quickly and efficiently, while allowing clinic staff to focus their time on more individualized patient needs. In this setting, AI can be a valuable tool for improving accessibility, responsiveness, and overall efficiency.
The second, and more rapidly evolving, application is the use of AI in clinical decision-making and treatment planning. Some AI programs can analyze a patient’s facial features and generate suggested treatment plans or simulate what an “ideal” outcome might look like. Many of these programs rely on patients uploading a photograph of their face for analysis.
The Dangers of Relying on AI Cosmetic Consultations
Reliance on AI for clinical assessments is where it becomes a slippery slope. Many AI programs unfortunately may have biased training data that utilize narrow aesthetic standards that may not be generalizable across diverse populations of patients. Additionally, it does not take patients’ unique preferences into account. For example, a patient may want to keep their dimpled chin because it reminds them of their grandmother’s – AI may prefer to eradicate that dimple without adjusting for these nuanced preferences.
An AI-generated treatment plan may appear highly sophisticated or data-driven, but that does not necessarily mean it is appropriate for an individual patient. Aesthetic medicine is not simply about identifying what is technically “ideal”; it is about understanding what the patient wants, what is anatomically appropriate, and what can be achieved safely and naturally. Those decisions require clinical judgment and, importantly, a conversation with the patient that an algorithm cannot replicate.
Tip #1: Use AI for Prioritization, Not Diagnosis
Despite these limitations, AI still can be useful. While AI should never replace medical care from a professional, it can be a helpful tool when utilized before a cosmetic consultation.
If you are new to an area looking for specific treatments or specific qualifications in your providers, you may consider utilizing AI to compile a list of offices in your target location.
If you are new to the field of aesthetic medicine, you may consider using AI as a guide to organize your questions or even help you come up with specific questions to ask to make your in-person consultation time more efficient or meaningful.
Finally, after your consultation, if you were interested in having AI help with timing your procedures around events and appointments already in your calendar, you may consider utilizing AI to fit the treatment plan recommended by your dermatologist into your personal calendar. This can help you prioritize the treatment options that focuses on the concern that bothers you the most.
Tip #2: Remember That AI Sees Photos, Not Patients
The aesthetic journey is a deeply personal one. Every person’s goals are different, and not everyone wants a “traditional ideal” of looks. Furthermore, a human-to-human consultation allows for the physician to uncover the patient’s motivation for seeking cosmetic care, aesthetic values/goals, and expectations — all of which influence treatment options. For instance, a patient who wants to enhance facial symmetry without the use of hyaluronic acid gel-based fillers would have a completely different treatment plan and set of expectations than someone who may be open to them.
When multimodal language models (ex. ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) were tested on facial ratio assessments, their accuracy was as low as 0.39. This shows that these AI models are not ready to replace a facial assessment conducted by a qualified physician.
Tip #3: Let a Qualified Provider Build the Actual Treatment Plan
I went into cosmetic dermatology particularly because it allows me to build relationships with my patients. I get to help you look and feel your best for big life events, feel more in control about the aging process, or even feel more confident about scars from traumatic events or surgeries from the past. Building your treatment plan is something that is personal. At the end of the day, AI is not human.
The Bottom Line
AI has the potential to make aesthetic medicine more accessible and informative, helping patients better understand their options before they ever step into an office. However, even the most advanced technology can only evaluate the information it is given.
While AI may be a useful tool, it is not a substitute for the expertise and judgment that comes from a comprehensive consultation with a qualified provider. To start your journey in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Area, contact our office for more information.
