WOMEN IN AESTHETIC MEDICINE

THE HUMAN TOUCH

As artificial intelligence becomes more and more embedded in the patient journey, Vicky Eldridge asks, are we losing sight of what really matters in aesthetic practice?

As luck would have it, shortly after being commissioned to write this article, I hosted a webinar on AI in aesthetics with Ashley McKenna from EQUALS3 and Hamilton Fraser. One of the key points made was that, while AI

can save time, streamline processes and support clinic operations, it should never replace the human connection between a practitioner and their patients – there always needs to be a “human in the loop”.

While this is not a topic that is unique to women in aesthetics, it got me thinking about the qualities many women bring to their treatment rooms and why these qualities matter now more than ever.

YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE

There is no escaping it. AI is everywhere you look and if you are running a clinic, it is likely you are already using it. From note-taking software and skin analysis tools to the chatbot on your website and patient communication systems, AI is increasingly being positioned as the solution to many of the administrative and operational friction points practitioners face. And when used in the right ways, it’s a fantastic adjunctive tool.

I have spoken to many practitioners who describe AI-assisted note-taking, for example, as a “game-changer”, allowing them to spend less time looking at a screen (or piece of paper if you are still doing it the old-fashioned way) and more time focusing on the patient sitting in front of them.

“I absolutely love AI for note-taking”, says WIAM board member and consultant nurse practitioner Tracey Dennison. “It is far better than my own notes and means that I can be present in the room with the patient rather than constantly typing. But it stops there. For me, it’s all about building the relationship, and AI can’t do that.”

Dr Sabika Karim agrees and says boundaries are essential. “AI has definitely helped me in so many ways. With note-taking, it means the notes are of really great quality and I can actually focus on my patient and have a conversation.

“The skin scanners and 3D imaging systems allow me to present my patients with reliable and reproducible photography every time. “It’s also a great research tool to make sure that I’m up to date with any papers I may have missed.”

However, Dr Karim draws the line at treatment planning. “I would never use AI for treatment planning as this has to be bespoke to each individual patient, their goals, their timelines, their budgets and what is acceptable to them”, she says.

And this is the crux of the matter. Much of what is communicated in a consultation lies between the lines in the subtle cues, the body language and the emotions behind a patient’s visit. So, while AI can accurately record what was said in a consultation or give you data about how much pigmentation is under the surface of a patient’s skin, it isn’t nuanced or creatively intuitive in the same way an experienced practitioner is.

WOULD YOU LIKE A SIDE OF SAMENESS WITH THAT ORDER?

One of the signs of overdone or “paint-by-numbers” injectables is when patients lose their individuality and all start to look the same. The same can be said for the use of AI. Ask ChatGPT to write you a blog and some social content around sun damage and it will churn out what may seem like a flawless piece of copy. But I can guarantee you that almost every other clinic entering a similar prompt will have the same content on its site, in its newsletters and on its social media. Bye-bye personality and brand voice. Hello homogenisation. When I raised this topic with the WIAM board, they agreed. Aesthetic consultant Vanessa Bird commented, “Admin support and note-taking is a sensible way to use AI when done correctly and in accordance with data protection and compliance.

“It becomes problematic when clinic owners and brands use it to build packages or solutions and write copy. What they get is the same generic results as all the other clinics and brands using it. Nothing tailored, nothing personalised and nothing that feels like care has been taken creating it.”

As a social media and digital content expert, Alex Bugg agrees. “LLMs (large language models) have never had an original thought in their existence because of what they’re trained on,” she says. “While they can help you identify what’s worked before, I think we’re losing that personal touch. We’re in a personal industry, and if everyone sounds the same, then the next drivers are either location or price. You don’t want to compete on that.”

Bugg also highlights the growing problem of “AI slop” – generic content created quickly and at scale, often with little thought or originality behind it.

“The content doesn’t perform and the cycle of poor results from social media perpetuates,” she says. “I think there needs to be more education around it.”

I agree. In my own work, AI has undoubtedly saved me time. But there have also been moments where I have caught myself reaching for ChatGPT to help write a headline or generate an idea that, a few years ago, I would have worked through myself.

And therein lies the rub.

Perhaps the question is not whether AI can do the work. On the whole, it can. The question is whether we are in danger of outsourcing some of the very skills that make us different.

As AI levels the playing field in so many areas of practice, it may be that the qualities women have brought to healthcare for generations – empathy, active listening, emotional intelligence, intuition and patient-centred communication – become the very things that set them apart.

But these qualities don’t just matter in the consultation room; they matter in your communication with your patients across the board.

Used well, AI can free us from repetitive tasks and create more space for meaningful patient interactions. Used carelessly, it risks robbing us of the deeply personal connections that give a profession its meaning and purpose. It may save you time in the short term, but if patients start to disengage because of inauthenticity and a lack of “humanness” in your business, you’ll suddenly have a lot of time on your hands for all the wrong reasons.