A team of leading Consultant Plastic Surgeons from Cadogan Clinic, based in Chelsea, London have co-authored a groundbreaking peer-reviewed study demonstrating that AI can successfully be used to assess whether a patient is suitable for Facelift surgery, offering a significant advancement in surgical consultation techniques.

Cadogan Clinic, the UK’s leading surgical centre of excellence for Facelifts, is committed to regularly contributing to medical research and has been involved in 18 peer-reviewed publications in the last 10 years, furthering innovation and improving patient safety and outcomes.

This latest paper highlights the importance of understanding how recent technological developments can support the work of Plastic Surgeons across the field to achieve the highest-quality surgical results.

ChatGPT-5 Matches Surgeon-Level Assessment of Facelift Candidacy: A Pilot Proof-of-Concept Study

The study, published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the official journal of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), was led by Mr. Ayman Saeed (MB BCh, FRCS(Plast), FEBOPRAS), Consultant Plastic Surgeon, and Mr. Bryan Mayou, Consultant Plastic Surgeon with over 40 years of experience, and Founder of Cadogan Clinic. Co-authors include Mr. Tunc Tiryaki, award-winning Consultant Facelift Surgeon.

Although previous studies have shown that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has several beneficial applications in the medical field, including scribing appointments and producing patient notes, most evaluations of AI in medicine to date have relied on text-only prompts. This study, led by Consultant Plastic Surgeons at Cadogan Clinic, London, is one of the first to explore AI’s capabilities in interpreting clinical images and providing aesthetic judgements.

This high-quality, peer-reviewed research, led by expert Consultant Surgeons at Cadogan Clinic, London, breaks new ground in how AI may be effectively applied to patient journeys in Plastic Surgery.

AI-Supported Facelift Consultation Methods

Titled ChatGPT-5 Matches Surgeon-Level Assessment of Facelift Candidacy: A Pilot Proof-of-Concept Study, the research is the first peer-reviewed investigation to examine the possibility of utilising a general-purpose multimodal AI model to assess patient eligibility for Facelift surgery from standardised photographs, compared head-to-head with Consultant Plastic Surgeons.

The research was conducted using the following methods:

• 22 volunteers each had four standardised facial photographs taken
• A panel of five Consultant Plastic Surgeons independently assessed the photographs, answering a structured assessment questionnaire for each case, without access to demographic data or clinical information
• The same photographs and assessment questionnaires were uploaded to ChatGPT-5, restricting the model to the same structured assessment and without access to patient demographic and medical information
• The responses from the Consultant Plastic Surgeons and ChatGPT-5 were compared to show how effective AI is at assessing Facelift suitability

The assessment questionnaire used by both the Consultant Plastic Surgeons and the AI model included the same eight questions, and included:

• Facial ageing
• Skin laxity
• Facial volume loss
• Facelift suitability
• Additional surgical recommendations
• Additional/alternative non-surgical treatment options

This approach reflects the way an experienced Consultant Plastic Surgeon would conduct a patient assessment during a Facelift consultation.

The methods used in this pioneering research, led by Cadogan Clinic’s expert Consultant Plastic Surgeons, carefully compare the assessment made by a general AI model and board-certified surgeons to achieve a realistic and balanced outcome.

Key Findings in How AI Can Assess Patient Facelift Suitability

This pioneering study, led by Cadogan Clinic Consultant Plastic Surgeons, was very successful, and the results have provided an encouraging starting point for further research into how AI interpretations of patient imagery may support surgeons in Facelift consultations.

• Overall Assessment: 95.5% agreement between Consultant Plastic Surgeons and AI
• Facial Ageing: Up to 90.9% agreement on assessment of skin laxity and tissue sagging
• Severity: 77.3% exact agreement on the severity of facial ageing and associated signs, with all disagreement limited to one adjacent category

These findings are all highly promising in showing the potential that AI may have in supporting surgeons with initial patient assessment. The study suggested that in the future AI tools could assist with pre-screening processes ahead of consultation. This would have several patient benefits:

• Allowing for more discussion time between the patient and surgeon
• Providing patients with more information about relevant procedures they may wish to discuss
• Signposting patients for alternative procedures and treatments

It is essential to note that this groundbreaking study emphasises that any AI models used in this way should supplement and not replace a Consultant Surgeon’s clinical judgement, assessment, and bespoke treatment planning. Although in a small sample size, AI has been shown to be highly effective in assessing whether a patient may be suitable for a Facelift, there is a significant difference between examining a static image and a live consultation setting.

Cadogan Clinic, Chelsea, London is at the forefront of medical research and innovation, and the results of this pioneering research show that AI may be used effectively to improve and streamline the patient experience.