If you are considering a cosmetic procedure, pause to consider the potential impact on your physical and mental health and take steps to ensure you use a reputable practitioner. Here, industry insiders share their expert advice.
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Decide if you want surgical or non-surgical treatments
"Before choosing a clinic, prioritise your concerns and consider if you are looking to address them via non-surgical treatments or whether you are open to surgical procedures.
"This will help guide your practitioner in recommending the best plan of action. And remember, if you choose a clinic that offers both non-surgical and surgical treatments, it can offer a suggested pre- and post-operative protocol of non-surgical treatments to help achieve best results from your procedure and accelerate healing.
"In some cases, they support one another. Look for somewhere that offers a wide variety of treatments and has a strong team of nurse prescribers, aestheticians and doctors."
Dr Yannis Alexandrides, US and European board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of 111 Harley St
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Before and after pictures are a requirement
"Your practitioner should take a full medical, allergy and medication history. Remember that injectables are non-essential medical interventions and have some risks associated with them.
"It is your practitioner's responsibility to assess if it is safe to inject you from a medical point of view.
"Some medications and medical conditions put you at higher risk of complications from injections. If you are a female of childbearing age, please do not be offended if your practitioner asks if you are pregnant or breastfeeding (in fact you should be worried if they don't), as we would not want to put you or a baby at risk unnecessarily.
"Also, do they take pictures before and after treatment? This is an insurance company requirement and it allows you and your practitioner to track your progress.”
Dr. Catharine Denning, advanced aesthetics doctor
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Don't have treatment after your Covid vaccine
"Always ask your practitioner which brands they use to ensure they are approved. Clinical studies are so important and often the longer a product or device has been around, the more evidence we have for its safety and efficacy.
"And if you are having fillers, some practitioners recommend a gap of three to four weeks from Covid vaccinations or illness to reduce the risk of potential reactions."
Dr Uliana Gout, advanced aesthetic practitioner, founder of London Aesthetic Medicine
Check how many treatments your clinic offers
“Look for a practitioner who has training in facial anatomy and a location that is registered with the Care Quality Commission. Such clinics have been inspected to ensure safety equipment and adequate support staff are available — it will also be a place that stores your medical records appropriately. And remember that different treatment modalities (surgery, filler, Botox, laser,radiofrequency etc) will be best suited to different people.
"Any practitioner who does only one thing will sell that one thing to everyone. That is not a great sign."
Dr Rachna Murthy and Prof. Jonathan Roos, co-founders of Face Restoration
Ask for patient reviews
"Ask what the main experience of the practitioner is and find out how many treatments they have done. Ask about their success rate and whether their patients are happy with their results.
"Also, what will they do if you're not happy with the results? Can you go back? You need to feel comfortable discussing this and come away feeling like you can trust that person."
Dr Tracy Mountford, founder and medical director of The Cosmetic Skin Clinic
Check the treatment is suitable for you
Not every treatment suits every patient. "It is important to discuss the suitability of the treatment with your clinician. There are treatments that are contraindicated for certain skin conditions, such as melasma, or medications and supplements. Even a proven treatment that worked wonders for your friend could be disastrous for you. Clinics that offer a wide range of scientifically backed treatments will be able to advise and guide you so that you achieve your desired outcome without doing harm."
Sharin Shafer, owner of Skinfluencer Aesthetic and Laser Clinic
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