Should a Dermatologist Tell You When AI Was Used?
By Dr. Iryna Lazuk, MD — Physician-led perspective from Lazuk Esthetics in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Direct answer: Yes, when AI materially influences diagnosis, triage, treatment selection, risk assessment, documentation, or a recommendation, I believe the patient should receive a clear explanation. The level of detail should match the consequence. A tool that checks photo quality is different from one that ranks diagnoses or suggests a procedure. Disclosure should state the role, limits, human review, data use, and who is responsible.
Transparency should grow with the consequence of the output.
What counts as material use?
Use is material when it changes what the clinician sees, prioritizes, recommends, documents, or asks the patient to do.
Does disclosure make AI unsafe?
No. It makes the workflow legible and allows informed questions without replacing professional responsibility.
What is the practical next step?
Ask what the tool did, whether a clinician reviewed the output, what data it used, how errors are handled, and whether a non-AI alternative exists.
Bring the exact product, photographs, timing, medication list, prior procedures, and goal to a qualified clinician instead of translating a label or online story into treatment by yourself.
When should I seek medical care?
Do not delay medical care for a changing lesion, infection, severe reaction, or urgent symptom while waiting for an AI result.
Rapidly progressive swelling, severe pain, skin color change, vision symptoms, breathing or swallowing difficulty, fever, blistering, or neurologic symptoms require prompt medical evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI replace a skin exam?
No. Image tools cannot reproduce the full history, palpation, dermoscopy, and clinical context.
Who is responsible?
The clinician and organization remain responsible for how the tool is selected and used.
Can AI track progress?
It can support consistent measurement when capture and validation are appropriate, but tracking is not diagnosis.
Follow Dr. Lazuk
Dr. Iryna Lazuk is the physician co-founder of Lazuk Esthetics and Dr. Lazuk Cosmetics. I evaluate anatomy, skin behavior, health context, goals, evidence, timing, maintenance burden, and whether waiting is the better intervention.
Contact
Lazuk Esthetics | 4380 Kimball Bridge Rd, Alpharetta, GA 30022 | Concierge Service: (770) 744-3146
Medical disclaimer
This article is educational and does not diagnose a condition or establish treatment candidacy. Medication and procedure decisions require individualized evaluation by an appropriately qualified clinician.
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