Before you book, one question decides most of it
The question is who you will actually see. In the non surgical sector the person doing the consultation, the person prescribing and the person holding the needle are not always the same, and the gaps between those three roles are where most problems start.
Several of the most common treatments involve prescription only medicines. A prescription only medicine has to be prescribed by an appropriate qualified prescriber, on the basis of an adequate assessment of you as an individual. A remote sign off by a prescriber who has never assessed you is not the standard the professional bodies set. Ask, before booking, who prescribes and whether that person will see you.
Ask also where the practitioner appears on a public register. The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners and Save Face both maintain registers you can search. Statutory regulation of premises differs across the United Kingdom: in England some providers must register with the Care Quality Commission, and in Scotland independent clinics are regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Powers to introduce a licensing scheme for non surgical cosmetic procedures in England exist in legislation, and the detail has been the subject of consultation, so check the current position rather than assuming.
The shape of the appointment
A competent first consultation runs through six stages, in roughly this order.
- Registration and medical history. Current medications, allergies, previous treatments and dates, relevant medical conditions, whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding. This is the part people rush and it is the part that decides safety.
- What is bothering you, in your words. A good practitioner spends longer here than you expect, because the thing a person points at and the thing that is actually producing the effect are frequently different.
- Assessment. Looking at the area at rest and in movement, often with standardised photographs. Photographs are also the only way to judge a result later.
- Options, including doing nothing. What could be done, what each option would and would not change, how long it lasts, what it costs and what happens when it wears off. Doing nothing is a legitimate option and should be presented as one.
- Risks and written information. Common side effects, rare but serious complications, what to do if something goes wrong and who to contact out of hours.
- Time. Written information to take away and a gap before you decide.
What a good consultation refuses
The refusals are more informative than anything on the price list. Watch for whether the practitioner is willing to say no.
| Signal | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| Declines to treat because the concern would not respond to the treatment | Assessment is real |
| Raises psychological wellbeing, and screens for body dysmorphic disorder where relevant | Follows professional guidance |
| Recommends a smaller intervention than you asked for | Not selling volume |
| Offers a cooling off period as standard | Consent is being taken seriously |
| Treats at the first appointment as the default | Consultation is a sales step |
| Time limited discount tied to booking today | Pressure selling |
| Cannot name the prescriber, or the prescriber never sees you | Prescribing chain is weak |
| Advertises a prescription only medicine by name to the public | Advertising rules are not being followed |
The last one is worth stating plainly, because most people do not know it. Advertising a prescription only medicine to the public is not permitted in the United Kingdom. That is why compliant clinics describe a treatment area rather than naming the drug, and why an advertisement that names one is a signal about how that business handles rules generally. The advertising codes are published by the Advertising Standards Authority and its sister body which writes them.
Consent is a process, not a signature
Professional guidance for doctors offering cosmetic interventions, published by the General Medical Council, is explicit that the practitioner performing the procedure is responsible for discussing it with the patient and for obtaining consent, and that a cooling off period should be provided. It also expects marketing to be responsible and free of pressure tactics.
In practice, consent taken properly feels slower than you want it to. You should be able to repeat back what could go wrong and what the recovery looks like without prompting. If you cannot, the conversation has not happened yet, whatever you signed.
The questions to take with you
- What are your qualifications, and where can I check them on a register?
- Who prescribes, and will that person assess me personally?
- How many times have you performed this specific treatment?
- What are the most common side effects, and what is the worst realistic complication?
- What happens if I am unhappy with the result, and is a correction included?
- Who do I contact out of hours if something goes wrong, and how quickly?
- What insurance is in place?
- What would doing nothing look like in five years?
- Can I have the written information and think about it?
The eighth question is the one that changes the conversation, because it forces a discussion of trajectory rather than a single appointment, and it separates a practitioner who is assessing a face from one who is filling a diary.
Afterwards
Take the written material away and read it somewhere that is not the clinic. Check the practitioner on a register. If you were quoted a figure, get it in writing including what is and is not included in it. Then wait, at minimum, until the next day. Nothing in this sector is urgent, and a discount that cannot survive twenty four hours was never a discount.
If something does go wrong after a treatment, the routes are the clinic first, then the relevant professional regulator for the practitioner, the register they belong to, and in serious cases urgent medical care. The NHS guidance on cosmetic procedures sets out what to check beforehand and what to do if a procedure goes wrong.
Limits
This describes the structure of a consultation for non surgical treatments and the rules around it. It is not medical advice, it does not tell you whether any treatment is right for you, and it deliberately quotes no prices, because pricing in this sector varies by area, practitioner and product and a figure here would mislead. Surgical procedures run under a different and stricter framework. No clinic or practitioner is named, rated or recommended.
Sources
- NHS, cosmetic procedures, on checking a practitioner, what to ask and what to do if something goes wrong. Accessed 15 August 2026.
- Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners, the public register of practitioners and premises meeting its standards. Accessed 15 August 2026.
- Save Face, a government approved register of accredited practitioners. Accessed 15 August 2026.
- Care Quality Commission, on which providers in England must be registered and inspected. Accessed 15 August 2026.
- Advertising Standards Authority, the advertising codes covering cosmetic interventions and prescription only medicines. Accessed 15 August 2026.
Reviewed 15 August 2026. Regulation of this sector is actively changing, and the licensing position is the item on this page to recheck before relying on it.