Business Insider: AI images distort surgery

Business Insider reported on May 17 that plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists are increasingly seeing patients bring AI-generated images into consultations and ask for surgical results that doctors say cannot be delivered safely or physically. The report, published Sunday, described a shift from magazine clippings and celebrity photos to images made with tools such as ChatGPT and other generators. Surgeons interviewed by the outlet said the pictures can help patients describe a goal, but often depict anatomy that does not exist in real life. A 2024 study in *Aesthetic Plastic Surgery* found that exposure to AI-enhanced photographs significantly raised expectations for plastic-surgery outcomes and could lower satisfaction afterward. ### Why are AI images showing up in cosmetic consultations now? May 2026 reporting by Business Insider said patients are now arriving with AI renderings of their own faces and bodies rather than asking to resemble a celebrity or an older photograph of themselves. The article described the images as part of a broader pattern in which consumer AI tools are being used to preview facelifts, rhinoplasties, breast augmentation and body contouring. Dr. Steven Williams, a Bay Area plastic surgeon, told Business Insider that the images are not automatically a problem because they can help patients express what they want. (yahoo.com) Williams said the limit is that surgery still has to follow anatomy and safety constraints. Business Insider identified him as president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, though the society’s current leadership page lists C. Bob Basu as president as of October 12, 2025. ### What are surgeons saying is unrealistic about these pictures? (yahoo.com) Dr. Sachin Shridharani, a Manhattan plastic surgeon, told Business Insider that one woman in her 70s brought in an AI-generated image that he considered completely unrealistic. The article said the image showed a sharper jawline, smoother skin and a younger-looking face than surgery could safely produce. Dr. Rachel Westbay, a Manhattan cosmetic dermatologist, told Business Insider that some patient images resemble cartoon characters more than real humans. (yahoo.com) Business Insider said Westbay compared one request to asking to look like Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” an example she used to describe how exaggerated some AI outputs have become. Williams told Business Insider he has seen patients bring in AI-generated examples for breast augmentation, body contouring and rhinoplasty. (msn.com) His description of the gap between software output and operating-room limits was concise: “Pixels are easier than surgery.” ### Is there evidence that AI-altered images change expectations? A 2024 paper in *Aesthetic Plastic Surgery* reported that exposure to AI photograph enhancement significantly raised expectations for plastic-surgery outcomes. (letsdatascience.com) The study concluded that the effect could predispose patients to lower satisfaction after surgery, giving published support to what doctors in the Business Insider article described from their own practices. Business Insider also cited a survey from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center that found people with experience using AI enhancers on photos had significantly higher expectations for plastic-surgery outcomes. (yahoo.com) That finding was repeated in syndicated versions of the article and aligns with the 2024 journal paper. ### Did the story include a patient example? Daina Jenkins, 60, told Business Insider she used ChatGPT before getting a deep-plane facelift to see what she might look like afterward. (link.springer.com) Business Insider said the AI image looked nothing like her final surgical result, illustrating the mismatch between generative-image output and real postoperative outcomes. The article said Jenkins was not new to plastic surgery and used the tool as a way to imagine the result before committing to the procedure. (dnyuz.com) Her example gave the story a concrete case of how consumer AI is entering the consultation process before an operation takes place. ### Are plastic-surgery groups also embracing AI in other ways? The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has separately published articles describing AI as a growing tool in clinical decision-making, imaging and practice management. (yahoo.com) Those materials frame AI as useful for analysis, workflow and patient communication, even as the Business Insider report focused on the problems created when consumer-generated images become de facto surgical wish lists. ASPS said on its website that its current president, C. Bob Basu, assumed the role on October 12, 2025, and his term runs through October 18, 2026. That means the next institutional marker for the group’s leadership is the close of Basu’s term in October 2026, while the May 17 Business Insider feature remains available on the outlet’s site and through syndication. (plasticsurgery.org 1) (plasticsurgery.org 2)