Consultations get described as free and no obligation so often that the words have stopped meaning anything. It is more useful to describe what is in the appointment.
The running order
- Medical history first, in writing, including medication, allergies, previous treatments and anything you are being treated for. This is the part that decides what is available to you.
- Then the thing you came in about, in your own words. We will ask what bothers you in photographs, which is usually more revealing than what bothers you in a mirror.
- Imaging, if it is relevant. Standard, cross polarised and ultraviolet photographs give us a baseline to measure against later.
- A discussion of options, including the option of doing nothing, with prices attached to each.
- A written plan by email, so you can read it away from the room and away from us.
What we will not do
We do not treat on the day of a first consultation for injectables. There is a cooling off period and it exists because deciding in the chair is how people end up with something they did not want. For non injectable treatments, same day is usually fine and often sensible.
We also will not put together a plan that costs more than the problem is worth to you. If you tell us your budget, the plan comes back within it, or we tell you the budget will not get you where you want to be and explain what would.
Sometimes the answer is no
A reasonable number of consultations end with us declining. The usual reasons are that the treatment requested will not achieve what is wanted, that a medical condition makes it unwise, or that a surgical opinion is genuinely the better route. That is not a lost sale. It is the appointment working.