The non surgical cosmetic sector in the UK is large, growing, and regulated inconsistently. Some parts are tightly controlled: prescription medicines require a prescriber, and services meeting certain definitions require registration with a regulator. Other parts are not, and the practical consequence is that the person performing a procedure on your face may have qualifications that range from a medical degree to a weekend course.
This page is a checklist. It is not an argument against procedures. It is an argument for asking twelve questions before one, and for leaving two weeks between the consultation and the appointment.
Section 01The twelve questions
- Who is performing this, and what is their registrationAsk for a name and a registration number. Doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists are on searchable public registers. Ask, then check it yourself rather than accepting a certificate on a wall.
- Are you the person who will treat me, or will someone elseConsultations are sometimes conducted by one person and treatments by another. Establish who will be holding the needle or the device.
- What exactly is the product or deviceA named product, not a brand of treatment. For injectables, ask what the substance is. For energy based devices, ask the manufacturer and model.
- Who prescribed it, and when did they assess mePrescription only medicines, including botulinum toxin, require a prescriber to assess the patient. Remote prescribing without a face to face assessment is not appropriate for these treatments.
- What is the realistic outcome, and what will it not doA practitioner who can only describe upsides is describing a sale. Ask specifically what this procedure will not change.
- What are the common side effects and what is the worst caseBoth, in specific terms. Ask what the rate is in their own practice and what the recognised serious complications are.
- What happens if there is a complication, at 10pm on a SaturdayAsk for the actual arrangement: a number, a named person, an out of hours pathway. This single question distinguishes a clinical service from a beauty transaction more reliably than any other.
- Do you carry indemnity insurance for this procedureAsk, and ask what it covers. Absence of an answer is an answer.
- Have you treated my specific concern before, and how oftenVolume and recency matter for technique dependent procedures. This is a fair question and a competent practitioner will not be offended by it.
- What is the total cost, including any follow up or correctionAsk whether a review appointment is included and whether correction of an unsatisfactory result is chargeable.
- What is the aftercare, and how long is the recoveryIn writing, before you commit. Recovery time affects work and social plans and is frequently understated in marketing material.
- Can I take this away and think about itA no, a time limited discount or pressure to book today is a reason to leave. Nothing in this sector is urgent.
Section 02The two week rule
The cooling off protocol
Total 14 days- 01
Attend the consultation and ask all twelve questionsDay 01
Write the answers down during the appointment. Memory of a consultation is unreliable and the written record is what you will assess later.
- 02
Do not book on the dayDay 01
Whatever the incentive offered. A discount contingent on booking immediately is a pressure technique and it is a reason to decline rather than a reason to hurry.
- 03
Check the registers yourselfDays 02 to 05
The professional register for their claimed profession, and any voluntary register they cite. Do this at home, not in the clinic.
- 04
Wait fourteen daysDays 01 to 14
If you still want it after two weeks, that is a decision rather than a moment. If the desire has faded, you have learned something useful about the decision.
- 05
Book, or do notDay 15
Both are complete outcomes. The two week rule is not a delay tactic, it is a filter.
Section 03What to check, and where
| Register | What it tells you | Who is on it |
|---|---|---|
| The medical register | That a doctor is registered and licensed | Doctors |
| The Nursing and Midwifery Council register | That a nurse is registered | Nurses and midwives |
| The General Dental Council register | That a dentist is registered | Dentists |
| The Care Quality Commission | Whether a provider is registered and its rating | Providers of regulated activities in England |
| Voluntary practitioner registers | That a practitioner meets that register's standards | Members who choose to join |
Two things are worth understanding about that table. First, being on a professional register means someone is a registered clinician, not that they are trained in the specific procedure. Second, not every cosmetic service requires registration with a health regulator, which is why checking is on you.
The medical register and the Care Quality Commission are both publicly searchable and take a few minutes. Voluntary registers such as the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners exist for non surgical practitioners and are worth checking where cited.
Section 04Red flags
A discount that expires today
Leave. Time limited pricing on a medical procedure is a sales technique and it has no clinical justification.
A consultation that does not include a medical history
Leave. Any competent assessment for an injectable or energy based procedure includes medical history, medication and prior treatment.
Prescription treatment offered without an assessment by the prescriber
Leave. Prescription only medicines require an appropriate assessment by the prescriber.
A practitioner who will not name the product
Leave. You are entitled to know what is being put into your face.
Treatment offered at a party, a salon event or a pop up
Leave. The setting determines what can be managed if something goes wrong.
No clear answer on complications and out of hours cover
Leave. This is the question that matters most and it is the easiest one to answer if the arrangement exists.
Before and after images with different lighting or angles
Treat as marketing rather than as evidence. Ask to see images taken in standardised conditions.
Pressure to buy a package of multiple sessions upfront
Be cautious. Assess after one before committing to a course, unless there is a clinical reason a course is required.
Section 05Things that differ for men
Male facial anatomy differs in ways that matter for injectable procedures: greater muscle mass in the forehead and glabella, different brow position, and a squarer jaw contour that most men do not want softened. Practitioners who treat men regularly account for this. Practitioners who do not sometimes produce results that are technically competent and visibly wrong for the face they are on.
Asking how often a practitioner treats men, and asking to see standardised images of male patients, is a reasonable and specific version of question nine. It is more useful than asking a general question about experience.
Any procedure that involves injecting a substance carries a risk of serious complications, including vascular occlusion with dermal fillers, which is a recognised emergency requiring immediate management. Ask what the practitioner's protocol is for that specific event. If they do not have a clear answer, that is the whole assessment.
Section 06The alternatives worth considering first
Before a procedure, three things are worth confirming: that you have run a complete topical routine for at least six months, that daily sunscreen is established, and that the complaint is one a procedure can actually address. Those three checks remove a meaningful proportion of procedure enquiries.
Beyond that, the decision is a personal one and there is nothing wrong with it. The purpose of this page is not to discourage it, but to ensure it is made with twelve answers rather than a brochure. The related documents are the plateau decision tree and prescription routes in the UK.