Published on 5 Oct 2025
Why Is Decision-Making in Aesthetics So Difficult? The Overwhelming Variety of Treatments, Doctors, and Clinics
In recent years, aesthetics has transformed from a “service” into a multi-billion-dollar industry, an industry with hundreds of treatment types, thousands of brands, and hundreds of thousands of providers worldwide. The result? An ordinary person with a simple concern (whether it’s acne, hair loss, eyelid sagging, or stubborn fat) suddenly finds themselves lost in a dense jungle of options.
In this post, we explore why making aesthetic decisions is so complex, the multiple layers of choice involved, how the number of possible combinations explodes exponentially and most importantly, where the solution lies.
The Map of Choices: From Concern to Treatment
Every aesthetic journey usually passes through several decision-making layers:
1. Personal Concern
Wrinkles, acne scars, hair loss, localized fat, sagging skin, pigmentation, under-eye darkness, facial lines, nose reshaping, body contouring, excessive sweating, and more. At Belorens, we categorize these as Concerns.
2. Body/Face Area
Forehead, frown lines, eyes, eyelids, cheeks, lips, jawline, chin, neck, scalp, abdomen, flanks, arms, thighs, buttocks, genital areas, each area has its own indications and limitations. On our platform, we call this the Area.
3. Treatment Goal
Prevention vs. treatment, correcting deformities, rejuvenation, improving skin quality, contouring, or temporary coverage.
4. Treatment Categories
Based on scientific classification, aesthetic interventions generally fall into four main groups:
- Surgical
- Non-surgical (injectables, devices, and minimally invasive methods)
- Skincare & Maintenance (professional or home-use products)
- Cosmetic/Makeup (camouflage, tattoo, microblading, shading, etc.)
5. Sub-options
Within each category, there may be dozens or even thousands of variations (techniques, brands, doses, protocols, treatment combinations).
6. Provider/Doctor/Clinic
Qualifications, expertise in the specific indication, treatment style, equipment, team, and aftercare support all matter.
7. Personal Preferences & Limitations
Budget, downtime, pain tolerance, safety profile, duration vs. reversibility, medical conditions, lifestyle.
When you multiply all these layers, the number of possible treatment combinations easily reaches millions.
Why Do the Combinations Explode So Quickly?
At each stage of the decision path, there are multiple options. When combined across layers, the number of possible outcomes grows exponentially.
Simple example:
- Concern: forehead wrinkles (1)
- Area: forehead (1)
- Treatment category: 4 options (surgical, non-surgical, skincare, cosmetic)
- Sub-options: at least 30 for each category
- Providers in a single city (e.g., Tehran): 5,000
Total combinations:
1 × 1 × 4 × 30 × 5,000 = 600,000 possibilities
just for a single concern in one facial area.
Now imagine scaling this across all concerns, body areas, and treatment options, the number of permutations becomes overwhelming.
A Real-World Example
Take the same concern: forehead wrinkles. On Belorens, we’ve identified 11 non-surgical and surgical solutions:
- Botox
- Filler
- HIFU
- Thread lift
- Fat grafting
- Laser resurfacing
- Radiofrequency (RF)
- Endolift
- Plasma therapy
- Subcision
- Forehead lift surgery
Choosing between these depends on highly individualized factors:
- Depth and severity of wrinkles
- Skin laxity and elasticity
- Skin type and tone
- Facial habits (e.g., frequent frowning)
- Patient priorities (number of sessions, longevity, downtime, prevention vs. correction)
If only these 11 treatments are available, and 5,000 providers in a city can perform them, that already creates 55,000 possible treatment–provider combinations. Adding 20 skincare options and 10 cosmetic solutions increases it to 205,000 potential pathways for just one small area of the face.
How People Traditionally Made Choices
Historically, patients relied on:
- Friends’ and relatives’ advice
- Social media
- Random Google searches
- Visiting the nearest clinic
But each has limitations:
- Friends may share incomplete or biased experiences
- Social media is often dominated by advertising rather than objectivity
- Google search results are fragmented and not personalized
- Choosing the first available clinic risks mismatched treatments
The stakes are high: wasted money, time, and—most importantly—compromised health and appearance.
How Belorens Simplifies the Decision
Belorens transforms aesthetic decision-making from a guesswork-driven process into a data-driven, transparent, and multi-source system. The result is a personalized treatment plan designed around scientific indications, expert insights, and real-world patient feedback without bias toward any brand, device, or provider.
The Belorens Process
- Structured Data Collection
Concerns, areas, severity, budget, recovery preferences, medical history, and skin characteristics are recorded. Images can be uploaded for more precise analysis. - AI-Driven Indication Matching
Responses are matched with a treatment knowledge base and safety guidelines. Unsafe or irrelevant options are excluded, and the most suitable ones are prioritized. Each recommendation is backed by a clear explanation. - Simulated Consultation (Enhanced)
The treatment plan mirrors the structure of a real doctor–patient consultation but synthesizes collective medical knowledge rather than a single opinion. - Combination & Sequencing
If multiple treatments are more effective together, the order, spacing, and precautions are defined. Contraindications are clearly noted. - Provider Selection Criteria
Focus is on expertise in the specific indication, outcome quality, and safety standards—not marketing or popularity. - Continuous Learning from Real Outcomes
Anonymous patient feedback before, during, and after treatment is integrated, refining recommendations over time.
Through this approach, Belorens designs the most accurate, personalized, and safe aesthetic pathways using a synergy of medical science, AI, and real-world results.
