Non-surgical cosmetic treatment in the UK remains strikingly under-regulated. At the time of writing, anyone can legally inject dermal filler into your face with no medical training whatsoever. The burden of checking therefore falls on you. These are the questions worth asking.
1. Who will actually be treating me, and what is their registration number?
You want a name and a registration number with the GMC, NMC or GDC, which you can check yourself on a public register in under a minute. "Fully qualified" and "expert" mean nothing on their own.
2. Will I see a prescriber before any prescription treatment?
For botulinum toxin the answer must be yes, face to face. See our separate piece on why.
3. What happens if something goes wrong?
Ask specifically: do you keep hyaluronidase on site, and is the person treating me trained to manage a vascular occlusion? Vascular occlusion is the serious filler complication, it is time-critical, and "we would send you to A&E" is not an adequate answer.
4. Are you CQC registered, and are you on an accredited register?
CQC registration is required for certain procedures in England. Save Face and the JCCP maintain voluntary registers with genuine assessment behind them — Save Face runs a 116-point inspection. Both are publicly searchable.
5. Is my insurance-backed?
Ask whether the practitioner carries medical malpractice insurance specific to aesthetic practice.
6. What is the follow-up?
A good clinic reviews you. We see anti-wrinkle patients at two weeks as standard, because that is when you can judge the result and adjust it.
7. How do they respond when you ask for something unsuitable?
This is the most revealing one. A clinic that says yes to everything is selling, not treating. You want the practitioner who is willing to tell you that what you are asking for will not suit you — even though it costs them the booking.