Choosing a cosmetic clinic is a personal decision. You are choosing the people who will look after your skin. It is worth taking your time.
The good news is that the most useful things are simple to check. You can do most of it before you book. Here is a friendly guide.
Why clinic websites look quieter now
If you have browsed a few clinic websites lately, you may have noticed they say less than they used to. There are fewer treatment names. There are no results photos. Price lists are hard to find.
There is a good reason for this. New national guidelines for higher risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures started on 2 September 2025. They restrict before and after photos. They also ban deals and other financial inducements. A separate medicines rule stops clinics naming prescription products in public.
So a quieter website is normal. We explain the rules in more detail in Why cosmetic clinic websites changed in 2025.
What is left is the useful part. How the first visit works. Who you will see. What your plan costs. What happens afterwards.
Check the practitioner’s registration
The person who assesses or treats you for these procedures should be a registered health practitioner. Registration details are public information.
The national register of health practitioners is free to search online. You can look someone up by name. Their entry shows their profession, whether their registration is current, and any conditions on it.
It takes about a minute. Our short guide, How to look up a practitioner on the public register, walks you through it.
You are welcome to ask a clinic for the full name of the person you will see. It is an everyday question.
Ask how the first visit works
It helps to know what happens at a first visit. Ask the clinic to walk you through it.
Under the national guidelines, a prescriber must hold a live consultation with you each time they prescribe a cosmetic injectable. A text, an email or an online form cannot take its place.
At Mirage, every visit starts with a consultation in person, here in the clinic. We get to know you and what matters to you. We look at your skin with you. Then we talk through what might suit you.
That could be a treatment. It could also be some advice, a review later on, a referral to another practitioner, or nothing for now.
Ask how risks are explained
Every cosmetic treatment carries some risk. Each one also has limits on what it can do.
It helps when the explanation is about you. It covers the risks for the area you are talking about. It covers what happens if something does not go to plan. It also covers what a treatment cannot change.
Ask for it in plain words. Ask again if you would like it explained a different way. That is completely normal.
Ask about costs
Stating a price for a treatment that involves a prescription medicine is likely to count as advertising that medicine. That is why you see so few price lists online.
The place to talk about cost is your consultation. Ask for the total cost of your plan in writing. Ask whether a review appointment is included. Then you can take it home and think it over.
Ask what happens afterwards
Your care carries on after the appointment. Here are some useful things to ask:
- who you contact if you have a question afterwards
- whether a review appointment is part of your plan
- whether you get written aftercare notes
- whether you will see the same person next time
These are simple to sort out while you are still deciding. It is nice to have them settled early.
Notice how you feel in the room
Some things you can only tell in person. How welcome you feel when you walk in. Whether your questions get clear answers. Whether you feel comfortable taking your time.
You can always go home and think about it. There is no need to decide on the day.
Come and say hello
If you live or work in Melbourne’s inner north, we would love to meet you. You can read about the care we provide first, or get in touch to book a consultation. Bring your questions, and take all the time you need.
Individual results vary from person to person. A consultation does not guarantee a particular outcome, and for some people the answer is that no treatment is appropriate. Our services are for adults aged 18 and over.