Plastic surgeons across the UK are raising concerns about a growing trend they call 'AI face', where patients arrive with AI-generated images of themselves and demand cosmetic procedures to match the digitally enhanced versions. Surgeons warn that the expectations set by these images are often impossible to achieve through surgery.
Dr Nora Nugent, a cosmetic surgeon from Tunbridge Wells and president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said she has seen a rise in clients bringing AI-beautified photos. 'Once you see an image, it's wired into you,' she said, adding that she expects the trend to increase as AI becomes more integrated into daily life.
Patients are requesting features such as flawless skin, sculpted cheekbones, refined noses and near-perfect symmetry. However, Dr Alex Karidis, a surgeon based in west London, noted that while AI can control every pixel, 'surgery certainly doesn't work on that microscopic detailed level'. Surgeons emphasise that outcomes are not guaranteed due to human variation in healing and ageing.
Dr Julian de Silva, a Harley Street surgeon, highlighted hyper-symmetry as a common but unattainable feature in AI images. He explained that altering eye levels, for example, is impossible because the position is set in bone. De Silva also expressed concern about surgeons potentially using AI to enhance their own results on social media, citing a video where a patient appeared 30 years younger but had six fingers.
Surgeons advise patients to have realistic expectations and understand the limitations of cosmetic surgery. 'It's not limitless what I can do in surgery. Neither of us control everything,' Nugent said.
