Consultations and choosing a practitioner
What happens in a cosmetic consultation
A step-through of history, examination, information and consent in an Australian cosmetic consultation — written so readers know the visit is not a product demonstration.
By the Anti Wrinkle Brisbane editors · Published 10 June 2025 · Updated 15 September 2026
Story Bridge, Brisbane by 16th man. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons file page. Also listed on the image credits page.
A cosmetic consultation in Australia is a health-service appointment. It is closer to a clinical interview than to a makeup counter. If a room skips history and jumps to a tray, that is a signal to slow down.
This page is the centre of the consultations hub.
Before you arrive
Bring a list of medicines, allergies and past procedures. Bring glasses if you wear them. Bring questions from questions to ask before a facial procedure. Do not bring a celebrity photograph as a contract.
Confirm who you will see and whether they are on the AHPRA register.
History is not small talk
Expect questions about pregnancy, breastfeeding, neuromuscular conditions, cold sores, isotretinoin, anticoagulants and your reason for attending. Incomplete answers help no one. If you do not want to disclose something, say so and accept that some options may be off the table.
Examination is of your face in motion
The practitioner should look at skin quality, asymmetry and movement. They may take clinical photographs for the record. Those images are health records, not social posts. Ask how they are stored. Our privacy policy covers only this publication, not a clinic’s software.
Information must include risk
A responsible conversation names infection, bruising, asymmetry, rare vascular events where relevant, and the possibility that nothing will be prescribed. It should not promise a look. Informed consent for higher-risk procedures is the companion page.
Medicines may be discussed behind a closed legal door
Many products people search for are Schedule 4. This site will not advertise them. Inside a consultation, a practitioner may talk about medicines they are allowed to prescribe. They may also say no. That “no” is part of safe practice.
For the public-law version, read prescription-only medicines and public information.
Money talk is not a price list for a medicine
Fees for time and facility are one thing. Publishing a public menu for a prescription-only injectable is another. If a website does the latter, see the TGA advertising explainer.
Ending the visit
You should leave with written information, a way to ask follow-up questions, and no pressure to decide in the corridor. If you need air, use cooling-off periods and second opinions.
Questions readers ask
Is a consultation the same as treatment day?
Not necessarily. Many higher-risk procedures are meant to follow a proper assessment and a chance to consider the information. Ask what the clinic’s sequence is before you travel.
Will they decide everything from a photo I send?
Photographs are a poor substitute for an in-person assessment of movement, skin quality and medical history. Remote photos should not short-circuit consent.
What if I feel sold to?
You can stop, ask for the information in writing, and leave. Cooling-off and second opinions exist for a reason. You are not obliged to fill a diary gap.
Why will this article not list the injections on offer?
Because public advertising of many cosmetic injectable products is restricted. The consultation is where a practitioner may discuss medicines that pages like this must not promote.
Image credit for this article is also collected on the credits page. Corrections go through the contact form.
Keep reading
GP, nurse or specialist: who to see
How general practitioners, nurses and specialist doctors can appear in a cosmetic care pathway in Australia, and why the job title on a window is not the whole story.
Questions to ask before a facial procedure
A printable-style list of process questions for Brisbane readers — who treats you, what the risks are, what aftercare requires, and what happens if you say no.
Cooling-off periods and second opinions
Why time between information and a procedure matters in Australian cosmetic practice, and how to use a second opinion without turning it into a shopping trip.