How to Choose an Aesthetics Clinic Safely in the UK

Now, you may be thinking: ‘a pharmacy, talking about aesthetics and reputable clinics? What would they know?!’

The truth is that as a pharmacy, we have the regulatory, clinical and medical backgrounds to safely recommend things you should look for in an aesthetics provider. We also take pride in our own aesthetics clinic and the standards of our practice.

• Qualifications

  The person carrying out your procedure should be able to prove they are qualified.

  Regulated healthcare professionals like Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists etc. have their own regulatory body, which means you can see their clinical registration and license to practice online.

  Unregulated professionals and clinicians alike should have certification on the procedure they’d like to perform.

• Regulations

  Aesthetics providers are not heavily regulated in the UK. As a result, untrained people can carry out procedures in unregulated premises.

  Medical clinics will be regulated based upon their type, e.g. doctors surgeries, pharmacies or dentists. Each premises will have its own registration which means that it is safe and fit for purpose.

  Aesthetics clinics of a non-medical background are ideally registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) or Health Improvement Scotland (HIS).

• Prescribers

  Certain procedures, like anti-wrinkle injections, involve the administration of Prescription-Only-Medicines (POMs), which can only be obtained via a prescription. This means a prescriber should have spoken to you in the lead-up to your treatment so that they can evaluate whether it is clinically appropriate to prescribe the POM to you.

  If you haven’t yet met your prescriber, ask the person completing your treatment who the prescriber is and when you will meet them.

• Aesthetics Practitioners

  The person carrying out the treatment should be:

  • Someone you trust

  • Someone who is regulated in some way

  • Someone who can prove their qualifications

  • Someone with a generally positive reputation around the procedures they carry out

  • Someone practicing in a premises which is:

    • Clean and tidy

    • Well-equipped

    • Registered

• Consultations

  Consultations matter. It’s important that both the practitioner and prescriber assess whether:

  • You are fit and well enough to tolerate treatment

  • You are able to consent to treatment

  • You have no contraindications (reasons not to have the treatment)

  • You understand the treatment, how to prepare for it and what will happen afterwards

  • You understand the pricing structure of the treatment

• Red Flags to Watch For

  • Clinics leading by price, not reputation

  • Clinics with bad reviews

  • Practitioners with bad reviews

  • People unable or unwilling to prove their suitability to carry out the procedure

  • Clinics which seem badly equipped, dirty or messy

  • Practitioners unable or unwilling to connect you with your prescriber

  • Unclear consent, a lack of consent forms or a lack of explanation about the procedure