In a recent episode of “AI-Impact Talk,” host Thembekile Mrototo explored the intersection of artificial intelligence and aesthetic medicine with Victor Snyders, CEO of Skin Renewal. Their conversation revealed how AI is transforming business operations while preserving the essential human touch in patient care.
Snyders highlighted that AI’s most significant impact has been in backend operations rather than direct patient care. “AI is something that is being used extensively behind the scenes,” he explained. Skin Renewal has developed proprietary AI systems that have revolutionised multiple aspects of their business:
- Medical Information Access: Their “Skin Bot Plus” system allows practitioners to instantly access contraindications, health conditions, and treatment protocols that previously required 5-10 minutes of manual research, now delivered in seconds.
- Financial Management: AI has transformed accounting processes, with invoice handling now fully automated. Tasks like reconciling 10,000 monthly transactions, which once took a full-time employee 3-4 weeks, now complete in approximately 8 minutes.
Despite these technological advances, Snyders emphasised that the human element remains irreplaceable in aesthetic medicine. “The patient experience is as important as the result,” he stated, drawing a comparison between high-end restaurants and fast-food chains.
The time saved through AI implementation has been reinvested into enhancing patient relationships rather than simply improving profit margins. Consultation times have actually increased from 30 to 45 minutes, allowing practitioners to focus more on understanding individual patient needs.
Snyders pointed out unique challenges in implementing AI within South Africa’s multicultural context. “The extent to which South Africa is a multicultural society is to a greater degree than in most other countries,” he noted, explaining that AI systems must navigate not only linguistic differences but also cultural expectations around communication and relationship-building.
These cultural specificities present both challenges and opportunities for businesses looking to implement AI solutions effectively. While standardised global solutions might not fit perfectly, companies like Skin Renewal have adapted by creating customised systems that better align with local needs.
When asked about the future direction of AI in aesthetics, Snyders acknowledged the unpredictability of technological advancement: “It’s going to go where it wants to go and where the developers take it.” Rather than attempting to predict specific developments, he advocates for staying informed and adaptable.
The potential for AI to influence direct patient treatment exists but remains limited. While technologies like AI-assisted diagnostics (comparing patient photos against millions of pre-diagnosed images) and robotic hair transplants are emerging, they still require human oversight to address individual variations in anatomy and preferences.
The conversation also touched on important ethical questions surrounding AI implementation. Snyders expressed concern about responsibility and accountability: “If that transaction is between the patient and a machine and something goes wrong, who does the patient sue—the machine or the person who owns the machine?”
He emphasised that medical professionals cannot outsource responsibility to AI systems, which should remain tools that enhance consultation efficiency rather than replace human judgment. The rapidly evolving nature of AI technology also presents regulatory challenges, as traditional regulatory processes may be too slow to keep pace with innovation.
Throughout the discussion, Snyders advocated for a balanced approach to AI adoption—embracing technological advantages while preserving human connections. For Skin Renewal, this has meant leveraging AI to improve operational efficiency while investing more time in personalised patient care.
When asked what AI means to him, Snyders summarized it as “opportunity more than anything else… to create effective changes in a business, but it requires thought, it requires careful implementation.”
The conversation highlighted how businesses in personalised service industries like aesthetic medicine can thoughtfully integrate AI technologies to enhance operations while maintaining the human relationships that remain central to their value proposition.
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