Choosing the right aesthetic clinic is an important decision. With so many clinics offering treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, skin treatments and laser procedures, knowing which clinic to trust isn’t always straightforward.
A polished Instagram page, impressive before-and-after photographs or an attractive offer may catch your attention. But there are more important things to consider when deciding where to have treatment.
So, how do you choose the right aesthetic clinic you can trust?
1. Should Price Be a Factor When Choosing the Right Aesthetic Clinic?
It’s completely understandable to compare prices when researching aesthetic treatments, but choosing a clinic simply because it is the cheapest can be a mistake.
Treatment costs can reflect a number of factors, including the experience of the practitioner, the products or equipment being used, the clinical environment and the level of consultation and aftercare provided.
An expensive clinic isn’t automatically better, and a lower price doesn’t automatically mean poor care. Instead, look at what you’re receiving for the price.
2. Not Checking Who Will Actually Perform Your Treatment
When choosing an aesthetic clinic, don’t research the clinic without also researching the person who will be treating you.
Find out about their professional background, qualifications, training and experience with the specific procedure you’re considering.
If your practitioner is a registered healthcare professional, you may also be able to independently check their professional registration.
Don’t be afraid to ask:
What qualifications do you have?
How long have you worked in aesthetics?
How much experience do you have with this particular treatment?
A reputable aesthetic clinic should be transparent about the people carrying out its treatments. Find out more about how to choose the right aesthetics practitioner here.
3. How Can I Check if an Aesthetic Clinic Is Reputable?
When choosing the right aesthetic clinic, don’t be afraid to look beyond the clinic’s website and social media and check whether its credentials can be independently verified.
Depending on the services being provided, one thing to look for is Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration. The CQC regulates health and social care services in England, and providers carrying out regulated activities are required to register and demonstrate how they meet the relevant regulations.
You can also look for independent accreditation. Save Face is a Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register for healthcare practitioners and clinics providing non-surgical cosmetic treatments. Save Face assesses areas including professional registration, qualifications, training, insurance, product sourcing, infection control, the clinic premises, consent processes and complaints handling.
Neo-Derm is CQC registered and Save Face accredited, providing patients with additional reassurance that our clinic and medical professionals are independently accountable to recognised standards.
4. Booking Treatment Without a Consultation
A good aesthetic clinic should take the time to understand you, rather than simply selling you a treatment.
Your consultation should give you an opportunity to discuss your concerns, expectations, relevant medical history and the results you’re hoping to achieve.
Sometimes the most appropriate recommendation may be a different treatment from the one you originally enquired about, or even not having treatment at all.
Be cautious if you feel rushed or pressured into making an immediate decision.
5. Choosing an Aesthetic Clinic Because of Social Media Alone
Instagram and TikTok can be useful places to discover clinics and treatments, but social media shouldn’t be your only source of research.
A large following doesn’t necessarily tell you about the qualifications or experience of the person carrying out your treatment.
Look beyond social media and consider the clinic’s website, the team behind it, independent reviews, professional registrations and how long the clinic has been established.
6. Not Asking What Happens if Something Goes Wrong
This isn’t the most exciting part of researching the right aesthetic treatment, but it is one of the most important.
All medical and aesthetic procedures carry some level of risk.
A reputable clinic should explain the possible side effects and complications associated with your treatment and make it clear what you should do if you’re concerned afterwards.
Before proceeding, ask:
Who do I contact if I have a problem?
Is aftercare included?
Can I contact the clinic after treatment if I’m worried about something?
Good aftercare shouldn’t begin only when something goes wrong. You should know what support is available before you have your treatment.
7. Ignoring Aesthetic Clinic Red Flags
Sometimes the warning signs appear before you have even booked.
Potential aesthetic clinic red flags can include:
- being unwilling to discuss qualifications or experience
- not properly explaining risks or possible complications
- promising guaranteed or unrealistic results
- putting pressure on you to book immediately
- encouraging treatments without properly assessing you
- being unclear about aftercare
- not explaining who will perform your treatment
- making you feel uncomfortable about asking questions
One red flag doesn’t necessarily tell you everything about a clinic, but you should feel comfortable asking questions and receiving clear answers before agreeing to treatment. If something doesn’t feel right, you don’t have to proceed.
8. Expecting Guaranteed or Unrealistic Results
Be cautious of any clinic promising perfection or guaranteeing a particular aesthetic result. Treatments can achieve excellent outcomes, but individual results vary.
Your anatomy, skin, age, lifestyle and the treatment being performed can all affect the final outcome.
The right aesthetic clinic should discuss realistic expectations and explain both what a treatment can and cannot achieve.
Your consultation should focus on what is realistically achievable for you.
9. Not Researching the Clinic’s Reputation
Reviews can provide valuable insight into what other patients have experienced.
Rather than concentrating on a single positive or negative review, look for patterns.
Pay attention to comments about:
- consultations
- communication
- professionalism
- treatment experience
- results
- cleanliness
- aftercare
- how questions or concerns were handled
At Neo-Derm, our Medical Director Dr Javed Hussain has more than 19 years’ experience in aesthetic medicine, and our approach focuses on doctor-led, ethical and effective aesthetic care.
10. Rushing Into Your Decision
One of the easiest mistakes to make when choosing the right aesthetic clinic is rushing.
Perhaps you’ve seen a special offer, have an important event coming up or have seen somebody else’s results and want the same treatment.
Give yourself time to research.
Ask questions, understand the risks and benefits, research the clinic and the person who will perform your treatment, and make sure you feel comfortable before proceeding.
How Can I Tell if an Aesthetic Clinic Is Reputable?
Start by researching both the clinic and its practitioners.
Look at the clinic’s history, independent reviews and the professional background of the person who will be treating you. Where appropriate, check professional registrations independently.
A reputable clinic should also be transparent about its treatments, provide a proper consultation, explain potential risks and have a clear process for aftercare and concerns following treatment.
Should I Choose a Doctor-Led Aesthetic Clinic?
There are different types of practitioners working within aesthetics, so rather than choosing a clinic based on its label alone, find out who will actually assess and treat you.
A doctor-led aesthetic clinic provides access to medical expertise, but you should still research the individual practitioner, their experience with the procedure you’re considering and the clinic’s approach to consultation and aftercare.
Choosing an Aesthetic Clinic: Take Your Time
Finding the right aesthetic clinic isn’t simply about choosing the lowest price, biggest social media following or latest treatment trend.
Look at the people behind the clinic, their experience and qualifications, how thoroughly they assess you and the standard of care before, during and after treatment.
At Neo-Derm, we believe aesthetic medicine should be approached with these principles at its core: doctor-led, ethical and effective care, with realistic and natural-looking results at the heart of treatment planning.
If you’re considering aesthetic treatment but aren’t sure which option is right for you, you can arrange a consultation with the Neo-Derm team to discuss your concerns, assess your suitability and understand your options before deciding whether you’d like to proceed.