When thinking about augmented reality and artificial intelligence within the beauty industry, it’s easy to see how tools like virtual try-on can fuel better product recommendations and customer engagement. As the technology evolves, however, it becomes more sophisticated, which opens up new worlds for its application in clinical settings.
At the 2023 Global Beauty and Fashion Tech Forum, a round table of experts including BeautyMatter CEO Kelly Kovack, Facial Plastic Surgeon and Founder of AIREM Medical Spa Dr. Eunice Park, Professor of Dermatology at Wake Forest School of Medicine Dr. Steven Feldman, and International Spa Association Co-Chair Jessica Wadley sat down to discuss not only the increased validity and efficacy of beauty tech in the dermatology and med spa sector, but how these tools are driving increased revenue.
Watch the full conversation below
Evolving Acceptance in Dermatology Settings
The use of technology in dermatology is well established; many doctors will use every tool at their disposal to build the most accurate diagnosis for their patients. Oftentimes they’ll make their diagnoses using simple face-to-face assessments with patients, and when technology is incorporated it’s done on “bulky, slow and expensive technology,” according to Dr. Feldman.
As a panelist at this same forum last year, Dr. Feldman discussed how emerging forms of technology, including AR and AI, can achieve the same levels of validity as those more outdated machines. A year later, with a year more data, Dr. Feldman’s research has determined that modern beauty tech tools that leverage AR and AI not only provide results with similar accuracy as their larger, more expensive counterparts, but often outperform them for far less investment on the part of dermatologists.
With initial validation determined, Dr. Feldman and his team have been researching how more complicated results involving skin of color and more complex dermatological assessments compare between newer and older forms of analysis technology. Once again, Dr. Feldman’s team is seeing results that indicate that modern AR and AI beauty tech tools perform as good or better in these scenarios compared to their older counterparts.
These results should lead to wider acceptance across the dermatological profession, according to Dr. Feldman.
“I think there's going to be greater interest in seeing value, in seeing scores, and seeing the results of what we do,” Dr. Feldman says. “And this technology makes it easy and fun to do that.”
Driving Revenue in the Med Spa Space
Though AR and AI applications in the dermatology field are growing and gaining wider acceptance, it’s really taking off in the med spa space. Using this advanced beauty tech, doctors and aestheticians are able to give patients a clear assessment of skin issues as well as potential areas of intervention for cosmetic procedures.
“In a matter of seconds on an iPad, you're able to bring up 14 different parameters of skin health,” says Dr. Park. “And in that very short period of time, I'm able to guide the consultation process, and really target the client and patient's concerns because in this field, there's a lot of art, science, subjectivity, and the issues that may come to my mind as perhaps the skin care concerns that might be the top concern to the patient are not always the case.”
What is so beneficial about turning to technology is that it doesn’t just end with diagnosis. During follow-up appointments patients are able to see first-hand the results of their treatments and how their skin is changing over time.
“Patients want to see a difference,” Dr. Park says. “And so with this Skin Diagnostic Pro app, we are using it in consultation; a very targeted, and as Dr. Feldman said, validated consultation process. Then it allows us to really hone in on the clients' desires and what they want to address. And then we're able to track results. When a patient comes in and they spend hundreds of dollars on whether it's Botox or injectables or a laser treatment, they want to see the results.”
The use of this technology isn’t just helpful in giving patients a better way to track their progress, but it enables them to truly visualize the impact of what certain procedures can offer them in order to get their desired results. By having this enhanced beauty tech as a tool, it often leads to better engagement and better sales.
“In the same period, 2023, the number of guest visits as we've rolled out this technology has increased 32%,” Dr. Park says. “The number of new guest visits has increased 26%. As I was pulling these numbers from our team, I was actually astounded at these figures as well. The average spend per guest per visit went from $541 to $743.”
How Beauty Tech Can Impact the Global Med Spa Market
As this technology has shown on a micro level with Dr. Park’s AIREM clinic, AR and AI has tremendous value in driving better per-customer sales outcomes. Extrapolated across an entire global industry, it can have an even greater impact.
Creating better forms of engagement can drive better customer outcomes, particularly among younger customers who are more digitally native. The use of AR and AI beauty tech can help convert the customers of a booming spa industry to reach unprecedented heights.
“Even with soft economic indicators that we're seeing now today globally, spa visits, and this is the latest quarterly performance, are up 70%,” says International Spa Association Co-Chair Jessica Wadley. “That is huge.”
While many of these customers are receiving massages, the use of engaging technology in AR and AI can work to upsell on skin treatments and other similar procedures. When deployed properly, particularly in luxury med spa settings, there’s no telling the true impact this revolutionary beauty tech can have on a global scale.
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