What should a good consultation include?

Sally's take

A consultation isn't the formality before the real appointment. It's the part that decides whether the result is any good.

While you're talking, I'm watching your face move. Where your brows sit, how they respond, what's shadow and what's genuinely lost volume, what's been asymmetric your whole life. Most of the decisions get made in that stretch, before anything is opened.

You should walk out understanding your own face better than when you walked in, even if you decide to do nothing at all. If that didn't happen, it was a sales appointment wearing a consultation's clothes.

What should happen

• You describe what bothers you, before any treatment is named
• Your face is assessed at rest and in full expression
• Your history is taken, including previous treatment and anything still present
• Photographs, so results can be compared honestly later
• A specific plan, including what is being treated and what is being left alone
• Risks and limits explained in terms of your face, not a generic list
• A full cost, including any follow-up
• Time to decide, with no pressure to treat the same day

Signs it is going well

• They tell you something you did not know about your own face
• They mention something they would not do, and explain why
• They give you a staged option rather than one large plan
• They are specific about what will not change

Treating the same day

Many people consult and treat in one visit, and there is nothing wrong with that when the plan is clear and you feel unhurried. The distinction that matters is whether same-day treatment is offered as an option or applied as pressure.

Quick answers

Should a consultation cost money?

Often there's a deposit, and it usually comes off your treatment. That's normal and it protects the appointment slot.

How long should it take?

Thirty to forty-five minutes for a first visit. Much shorter and something is being skipped.

Can I consult with more than one injector?

Of course, and nobody reasonable will be offended. It's your face.

Questions worth asking

• What did you notice about my face that I did not mention?
• What would you leave alone entirely?
• What is the full cost, including any follow-up?
• If I want to think about it, what happens next?

Build your own list with the consultation planner.

Related questions

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• How do I choose an injector?
• What should I expect from my first Botox appointment?
• Botox or filler, which one do I actually need?