Would you ask AI to recommend your next tweakment? It’s a growing trend, but is it actually a good idea? Our beauty director investigates.
Two things have been unmistakably on the rise recently: the popularity of tweakments and society’s use of AI. Now, the two worlds have collided.
As AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini weave themselves into our daily lives, with the potential to answer everything from work emails to restaurant queries, beauty lovers are also increasingly seeing their use for tweakments too, asking: “What treatments would you actually recommend for me?” It’s quick, free and accessible. But is it effective? And, most importantly, is it safe? Especially as it can mean skipping in-clinic consultations or word-of-mouth recommendations?
I put my face on the line and put the idea of AI-assisted tweakments to the test.
Why are people turning to AI for tweakment advice?
In short, using AI seems great because it answers questions 24/7, is non-judgemental (potentially unlike your friends or family) and, while not always accurate (more on that later), it does help you summarise all the information about a topic pretty rapidly. Now, with the inclusion of photo upload options, you can visually show your beauty concerns and get instant suggestions – with no appointment or awkwardness. As our lives get busier and we want our hard-earned money to stretch further, chatting to ChatGPT about tweakment suggestions seems like a low-stakes starting point.
What are the benefits of AI for tweakment planning?
1. It’s a great research tool
When you’re first starting to explore aesthetic treatments, all the different options can be really confusing. So, what AI can help with is breaking down the individual concepts, such as the difference between Botox and filler, or what microneedling actually does. That helps build a baseline understanding so you’re not going into a consultation feeling completely unsure.
2. It can suggest possibilities you hadn’t considered
If you look in the mirror and can only see one perceived ‘flaw’, AI analysis could help you see the bigger picture, by suggesting alternative approaches or even recommending that a certain trending treatment might be popular but not necessarily right for you.
3. It removes the sales angle
Let’s be honest: part of the clinic experience is being sold to, and certain practitioners may have treatments they prefer to recommend, regardless of what might be best for you. AI doesn’t earn commission, so its suggestions tend to feel more neutral.
4. It’s private
While we have come a long way since tweakments were shrouded in mystery, there can still be a bit of the stigma around the idea of having tweakments. AI gives you the space to think things through and look at your options without asking those who may judge for their suggestions.
But, there are potentially big drawbacks too…
1. It’s not a medical professional
The biggest limitation is that AI isn’t a medical professional. It can’t physically assess your skin, understand your medical history, or see how your face moves in real life. Those details make a huge difference to what’s actually appropriate or effective.
2. Photos can be misleading and oversimplify
Lighting, angles, and filters can all distort how someone looks, which means any suggestions based on a photo may not translate accurately in person. Equally, aesthetic decisions aren’t just about isolating ‘problems’ – they involve anatomy, balance, ageing patterns, and personal taste, which AI can’t fully weigh up in the way a practitioner can.
3. Be mindful of your mindset
If you notice yourself constantly chasing a perfect version of yourself, that’s usually a sign to pause on tweakments, and practitioners are often trained to spot and help you through this appearance dysmorphia. AI on the other hand doesn’t have the safeguards. If you keep asking what else could be improved, it’s very easy to end up with a long list of tweaks that weren’t really necessary in the first place – and that can become a slippery slope.
4. What does perfect look like?
Finally, we can’t forget that all AI is powered by data, but unfortunately that data is not without biases, and a lot of it does not accurately reflect ethnic and cultural diversity when it comes to facial appearance. That means, in a world where ‘fitting in’ is still a social pressure, we could risk standardising beauty even further if everyone is nudged towards the same ‘ideal’ tweaks.
The expert view
“We’re definitely seeing a shift away from traditional Google searches, with more patients now coming in having used tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to try and identify which treatments they think they need,” says the GP, aesthetics doctor and owner of The Aesthetics Doctor, Dr Ahmed El Muntasar. “It’s not uncommon for someone to arrive with quite a detailed ‘plan’ generated from these platforms”.
“In some cases, it can be helpful that patients come in with a general idea or starting point, which we can then talk through together. But quite often, the recommendations aren’t entirely accurate or appropriate, and part of my role is to guide patients towards what is actually right for them. These tools can never replace a proper medical consultation. They are working from a two-dimensional image or limited input, whereas in clinic we are assessing the full picture. That includes how someone’s face moves when they talk or smile, their skin quality in real life, and their medical history. Ultimately, personalised, in-person assessment will always be the most important step in any aesthetic treatment journey”.
Our beauty director’s experience
You can’t say I hadn’t been warned, but I was still intrigued by whether AI really could help me decide my next tweakment. (Or whether it might point out features I had never even thought to worry about before!). So, I uploaded a photo I took in the office to both ChatGPT and Google Gemini and asked for recommendations (as well as an image that reflected those recommendations). I didn’t mention to AI that my main ‘concerns’ are tired-looking eyes or a tendency towards redness and poor texture; I wanted to see what the algorithms recommended.
Chat GPT’s response
I was honestly quite relieved to still (more or less) recognise myself in ChatGPT’s ‘after’ photo. That said, the visual improvements felt suspiciously like the work of a very flattering filter (and some fake makeup) rather than a realistic preview of any tweakments. The glow, in particular, had strong ‘ring light’ feel (even brightening my eyes themselves), so I’d be suspicious of taking any AI-generated photos to your practitioner and saying ‘make me look like that.’
Still, I have to give credit where it’s due – the actual recommendations were surprisingly thoughtful. In fact, ChatGPT took a refreshingly restrained approach, pointing out that any tweaks should be subtle, preventative, and focused on skin quality rather than reshaping my face. So far, so good.
It was able to spot my “biggest impact area” too, with ChatGPT seeing the same slight hollow and shadow around my eyes that I do when I look in the mirror. I would agree with its sensible suggestions on how to improve that as well, especially the recommendation of a very small amount of tear trough filler or polynucleotides to help brighten and smooth. I’ve had the latter before to great success, in fact (but the drawback is that results aren’t super long-lasting).
Other recommendations included addressing some uneven skin tone (something I’d affirm has already crossed my mind), with skin boosters for hydration, maybe a light peel or laser for brightness, microneedling for texture, and perhaps some light Botox to soften – not freeze – movement. As a beauty director, it’s the same advice I’d probably have given a friend. And, what I appreciated most was what it specifically didn’t want to recommend. No jawline sculpting, no heavy contouring, no overfilled lips. The overall message was very clear: don’t try to dramatically transform your face, help make it look well-rested and polished. And, in my opinion, that should be the recommendation for all tweakments, whoever (or whatever) you ask.
Google Gemini’s response
I’ll admit, I laughed when I saw this photo. I look waxy and fake – the very opposite of what I would like to step out of the clinic having achieved… and don’t get me started on the brows. This has made me even more certain that trusting simulated ‘after’ photos really isn’t a good idea.
The written advice fared a little better, but it lacked the personality that brings tweakment recommendations to life when chatting to a practitioner. While probably not wrong in its assessment, what Gemini generated was a rather long list of potential procedures: tear trough filler (again for a primary focus on the under-eye area), microneedling, lip enhancement, jawline contouring, and anti-wrinkle injections. All that would quickly mount up in terms of how much intervention you were having and how much it would cost. And, while Gemini responded saying the aim was to enhance natural features for a “refreshed, hydrated and well-rested look,” I’d argue from experience that if you followed all this advice you could easily cross over into the ‘over done’ category by mistake.
The final thoughts
Ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised by how well-considered at least the written recommendations for tweakments were about improvements for my face, and on the whole I’d actually agree with them.
However, I still think that you should consider AI as – at most – a pretty well-informed, slightly opinionated friend who’s great at explaining options, but who is definitely not qualified to make final decisions about your face. It’s great for curiosity (in fact, it’s quite fun to give it a try), but when it comes to actually doing anything, real humans, with real expertise, will always matter more. So, see it as a good starting point for research, not the final word on what you need or don’t need.
Becki Murray is Citizen Femme’s Beauty and Wellness Director and one of the only UK journalists to hold a Distinction-grade diploma in cosmetic science. Becki also heads up CF’s spa guide, so you could say she’s an expert in the science of relaxation too…
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