How AI Changed Skin Care in 2025—and What’s Next

In 2025, artificial intelligence stopped feeling like a novelty in skin care and became part of how the industry actually operates. What began as consumer-facing skin scans and ingredient quizzes has evolved into tools that shape consultations, improve device safety, support patient education and enable personalized care at scale. The shift wasn’t about replacing expertise—it was about sharpening it.

“AI is becoming more essential in aesthetic medicine,” says medical aesthetician Amy Peterson, founder of Skincare by Amy Peterson Clinic and the skin-care brand Lenox and Sixteenth. “We’re seeing smart consultations evolve from simple skin analysis into predictive imaging and even aging-trajectory modeling. This level of data-driven insight allows providers to design treatment plans that honor each patient’s unique biology.”

Here’s how that shift showed up across skin analysis, in-office technology and everyday practice.

From Skin Scans to Predictive Insight

Early AI tools focused on what the eye could already see, such as pores, pigmentation and fine lines. By 2025, those systems had grown more sophisticated, using pattern recognition and predictive modeling to flag changes before they became obvious.

Omaha, NE dermatologist Daniel Schlessinger, MD, puts it this way: “Maybe good skin quality isn’t something we can even really judge with our naked eye,” he says. “Maybe we need to use an AI to look at microscopic tiny pores on the skin and count them up in a way that a human just simply can’t do.”

For consumers, that translated to quicker insights and more tailored routines. For clinicians, it meant an added layer of data to support—and refine—decision-making during consultations.

How AI Is Showing Up in Lasers

In 2025, AI’s most tangible role in aesthetic medicine showed up inside laser platforms themselves. Rather than making treatments more aggressive, intelligent software is refining how energy is delivered—improving safety, consistency and predictability across a wider range of patients.

“Some of the lasers are actually using AI to produce safer outcomes,” says Dr. Daniel Schlessinger. “One recent one, for example, has been the BBL Heroic laser, and it uses AI to see where the laser is in space and time and adjust the treatment endpoints so that you get evenly spaced out pulses of light as you go along. And it’s made it a lot more predictable and a lot easier to use.”

That same push toward smarter energy delivery is shaping hybrid resurfacing systems, even when the technology isn’t explicitly branded as AI. Rochester, NY dermatologist Sherrif Ibrahim, MD, explains that the HALO TRIBRID platform relies on computer-guided algorithms to track where energy has already been delivered and redirect it in real time. “The computer now is recognizing, calculating where those double hits are, and making sure the Moxi goes in all the other spots,” he says. “The last thing we would want is all three in the exact same location, because that could cause overtreatment.”

Newer resurfacing platforms are building on the same principle, with a growing emphasis on precision and safety across skin tones. Fresno, CA dermatologist Rohini Shantharam, MD, says lasers such as the AVAVA Miria represent “the next step,” particularly for patients who want visible results without extended downtime. She notes that the system’s focal-point technology and adjustable depth allow for more individualized treatments, adding, “And of course, we can treat those darker Fitzpatrick types.”

Across devices, the throughline is clear: AI isn’t replacing physician judgment. It’s quietly guiding spacing, depth, and distribution—helping lasers deliver more controlled, consistent results while keeping clinical decision-making firmly human.

AI as a Practice Tool

Beyond treatment rooms, AI reshaped how practices operate. Dermatologists increasingly relied on AI-driven systems to support intake, patient communication and early-stage education. “We’ve been using AI more in kind of back office things to help with the check-in process, communicating with patients off hours to give them information about our cosmetic treatments that we offer and start the consultation process even if it’s a weekend or if it’s two in the morning,” says Dr. Daniel Schlessinger.

Patient education also emerged as a key area of experimentation. Some practices began testing AI-generated avatars to deliver consistent pre- and post-procedure guidance, though experts urged caution. “I’m very excited about the potential for educating patients,” says Washington, DC dermatologist Tina Alster, MD. “But you have to be really careful, read all the fine print before you do the avatar thing or else they might get more of you than you bargained for.”

What AI Can’t Replace

As AI became more embedded in skin care, dermatologists were quick to draw boundaries around its role. While AI can analyze patterns and streamline processes, it doesn’t replace clinical judgment. “What makes us better than AI is our ability to intuitively and organically take information, take our experiences and translate that into a new outcome, a new use,” says New Orleans dermatologist Mary Lupo, MD. “And I think that’s invaluable. AI will never be able to do that.”

What Comes Next

Looking ahead, experts expect AI to become less visible but more integrated. Instead of standalone tools, it will increasingly sit behind the scenes, adjusting routines, recommendations and treatment plans based on real-time inputs. Peterson sees personalization continuing to deepen in 2026. “AI is also shaping the next generation of personalized skin care,” she says. “It’s connecting consumers with products and protocols that are truly targeted for them.”