Walking into a first aesthetics consultation without much to go on can mean leaving without having asked the things that actually mattered. The consultation is genuinely the most important part of the treatment journey, not just a formality before the injections. Here’s a practical guide to making the most of it.
Before Asking Anything: What to Bring
A consultation is more productive when the practitioner has the full picture from the start. Useful things to bring:
- A list of current medications and supplements, including over-the-counter ones
- Any relevant health history, particularly conditions affecting the immune system, clotting, or healing
- Notes on any previous aesthetic treatments, what was done, by whom, and roughly when
- An honest description of what you’ve noticed changing and what you’d like to feel differently about
What to Ask About the Practitioner
These feel awkward to ask, but they’re the most clinically important questions.
Are you GMC, NMC, or GDC registered? Anti-wrinkle injections are a prescription-only medicine in the UK. The prescribing and administering practitioner must be a registered healthcare professional. A GMC registration number can be checked in seconds at gmc-uk.org.
Who prescribes the medication? If the practitioner isn’t the prescriber, who is? Have they assessed you directly, or is prescribing done remotely? From 2025, nurse prescribers in England are legally required to assess patients face-to-face before prescribing. Any arrangement that bypasses this isn’t operating within current regulatory standards.
What specific training in aesthetics have you completed? Medical registration is not the same as aesthetics training. A good practitioner will be happy to describe their aesthetic-specific qualifications and CPD.
What to Ask About the Treatment
What are you recommending, and why? The treatment plan should be explained in terms that make sense, not just named. Understanding why a particular area is being recommended helps set realistic expectations and builds trust that the plan is tailored rather than standard.
What are the realistic outcomes? Not “what could this look like” in the best case scenario, but what’s actually achievable given the current anatomy. A practitioner who talks in guarantees or superlatives is a practitioner worth questioning.
What are the possible side effects and risks? Every treatment carries some degree of risk. For anti-wrinkle injections, common temporary side effects include mild bruising and redness. Rarer complications exist and a good practitioner will acknowledge them rather than glossing over them. For dermal fillers, knowing that hyaluronidase is available to dissolve product if needed is worth confirming.
If something goes wrong, what happens? A well-run clinic has a clear protocol for managing complications. The practitioner should be able to answer this immediately and specifically.
What to Ask About Aftercare
What should be avoided and for how long? Most treatments involve some restrictions in the first 24 to 48 hours: strenuous exercise, alcohol, pressure on treated areas, extreme temperatures. Knowing these in advance rather than having to call up and ask afterwards is simply more practical.
When will the full result be visible? Anti-wrinkle injections typically take 10 to 14 days to show their full effect. Dermal fillers show results more immediately but swelling in the first few days doesn’t reflect the settled outcome. Polynucleotides and biostimulatory treatments like Sculptra develop over weeks to months.
Is there a follow-up included? A review appointment at two weeks is standard practice for injectable treatments. It allows any fine adjustments to be made and confirms results have settled as expected.
Signals a Consultation Is Going Well
A consultation worth trusting tends to look like this: the practitioner listens more than they talk in the first part, asks questions rather than immediately recommending treatments, explains their reasoning clearly, gives realistic (not inflated) expectations, and gives time to think before expecting a decision.
A consultation to be cautious about tends to push towards same-day booking, offer discounts for booking immediately, avoid direct answers about qualifications or complications, or make treatment recommendations before properly assessing the face.
Book a consultation with Dr Naz at the Rodney Street clinic in Liverpool to find out what a thorough, honest aesthetic assessment actually looks like.
