Your consultation is a conversation and an assessment. We ask about your concern and its history, your medical background, medications you take, previous treatments, allergies, and what outcome you have in mind. We then examine the area and discuss which approaches may or may not be suitable.

You will get a clear explanation of what any recommended treatment involves, roughly how many sessions may be appropriate, what preparation and aftercare are required, and what the treatment can and cannot address. There is no obligation to proceed, and you are welcome to go away and think about it.

This genuinely cannot be answered without assessment — and we would be cautious of anyone who tells you otherwise online. The same visible concern can have quite different underlying causes from one person to the next, and a treatment that suits one skin type may be unsuitable for another.

What determines the recommendation is your skin type and sensitivity, the nature and duration of your concern, your medical history and current medications, your previous response to treatments, and what downtime you can accommodate. All of that is what consultation is for.

Preparation varies by treatment and you will be given specific instructions beforehand. Some guidance applies broadly: avoid significant sun exposure in the period before treatment; tell us about all medications and supplements; mention any retinoids, acids or prescription topicals, as some need pausing; disclose any history of cold sores; and let us know about recent waxing, threading or treatments elsewhere.

Attend with clean skin, free of makeup in the area being treated, unless told otherwise.

This varies genuinely between individuals and we will not quote a number before assessing you. It depends on the treatment, the nature and duration of your concern, your skin or hair type, and how you respond as a course progresses.

What we will do is give you a realistic indication at consultation, build review points into your plan, and adjust based on what we actually observe rather than adhering to a number decided at the start.

This is specific to each treatment and you will receive written aftercare guidance covering what was done that day. Broadly, some redness or warmth in the treated area is common after many treatments and typically settles. Some treatments involve a period of dryness or light flaking.

Sun protection features in nearly all aftercare. You will also be told what sensations are expected versus what warrants contacting us — and if anything falls outside what was described, please do get in touch rather than waiting for your next appointment.

Sensation varies by treatment and between individuals, and we describe what to expect honestly before you begin rather than minimising it. Many treatments are described as comfortable or mildly uncomfortable rather than painful. Where appropriate, a topical numbing preparation may be used and given time to take effect.

Comfort is checked throughout any session and you can ask to pause at any point.

Many are, but skin tone genuinely affects treatment selection, settings and protocols — particularly around the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation. This is assessed individually rather than assumed.

Our general approach for deeper skin tones is conservative: often beginning at a lower intensity and adjusting based on observed response rather than starting aggressively. Where a particular treatment carries a higher risk for your skin, we will tell you and discuss alternatives.

Many aesthetic treatments are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and some are specifically contraindicated. Please tell us if you are pregnant, may be pregnant, or are breastfeeding — before booking where possible, and certainly at consultation.

We will discuss what is and is not appropriate, and in many cases the honest recommendation will be to defer treatment until later. Where a service may be possible, we may ask for clearance from your doctor first.