Walking into a consultation with a few questions ready can make it feel easier. Questions help you understand your options. They also help you feel comfortable with whatever you decide.
Here are nine good questions to ask, and what a clear answer might sound like.
Why questions help
Before any treatment, you should have enough information to decide for yourself. That is what informed consent means.
Consent starts as a conversation. The form comes afterwards. The conversation covers what is involved, the risks, the other options, what a treatment cannot change and the full cost.
You do not need any clinical words for this. Ask in your own way. Keep asking until each answer makes sense to you.
1. What do you look at during the assessment?
A clear answer talks about your features, how your face moves, your health history and what you would like.
You might also ask why you are asked to frown or smile. The answer is interesting. It shows you what shapes the advice you receive.
2. What is happening in the area I asked about?
This question is especially useful.
What you see on the surface can come from a few places. It might relate to how your face moves. It might relate to the texture and hydration of your skin. It might relate to the structure underneath.
Knowing which one helps explain what is worth considering. It also makes the rest of the conversation easier to follow.
3. What are my options, including waiting?
A consultation should cover the alternatives. That can include a different approach, waiting a while or doing nothing for now.
A clear answer explains what might change the advice later. It also tells you what to keep an eye on in the meantime.
4. What are the risks for this area?
Ask about the risks for the specific area you are discussing.
A clear answer covers how likely each risk is, what it looks and feels like, and what is done about it. Ask which early signs to watch for. Ask who to call if you notice one.
5. What can this not change?
Every treatment has limits. Knowing what will stay the same is as useful as knowing what might change.
This question also checks that you and the person assessing you are picturing the same thing.
6. What is the total cost?
Ask for the cost of the whole plan, in writing, before you agree to anything. Ask whether any review appointments are included.
If a price is quoted per area or per visit, ask what the full plan adds up to. Ask how the cost would change if the plan changed later. A written quote is a standard thing to request.
7. What happens afterwards?
Ask what to expect in the first few days. Ask what would be unexpected, and what to do about it.
Then ask about aftercare. Who do you contact with a question? Is there a review appointment, and when would it be? These details are easy to sort out before you decide.
8. Who will be treating me?
Ask for the name of the person assessing you and the person treating you. Ask what type of health practitioner each one is.
Registered health practitioners in Australia are listed on a free national public register. You can search it by name to see a practitioner’s registration details. Our guide on how to check a practitioner’s registration walks you through it.
9. Do I need to decide today?
No. Taking time to think is a sensible response to a lot of new information.
Ask how long your written quote stays valid. Then take the time you need.
Keep a note of the answers
Ask if you can take notes during the visit. A consultation covers a lot of ground, and notes help you remember the detail later.
You are welcome to bring someone with you. A second person can catch things you miss.
If you would like to read ahead, you can browse our treatments to see the areas we can talk about.
The questions that feel awkward to ask
Some questions can feel a little awkward. Will people be able to tell? What if I change my mind? Can anything be adjusted later?
Please ask them out loud. They are good questions, and you deserve clear answers. Some answers depend on your own face and features, so they are easier to talk through in person.
No question is too simple. If this is your first consultation, let us know at the start. We will take things slowly and explain as we go.
Bring your questions to us
We would love to hear your questions. Book a consultation at our clinic in Fairfield. We will work through them together, at a pace that suits you.
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.