Facial aesthetics FAQs

If there’s anything specific you want to know that we haven’t covered below, please book a consultation or request more information and we’ll be happy to help.

1. What is facial aesthetics?

Facial aesthetics is a term used to describe non-surgical cosmetic treatments that are designed to enhance your natural beauty, improve your skin health and slow down the signs of ageing such as fine lines and wrinkles.

If you click on our main Treatments page, you’ll see an overview of the facial aesthetics treatments we offer here at Medikaur. They include wrinkle-relaxing injections, dermal fillers, skin needling and other minimally invasive options.

2. Who can do facial aesthetics?

Currently, the UK doesn’t have legislation to prevent non-medical professionals administering facial aesthetics treatments. However, in 2022, a cross party group of MPs proposed introducing a licensing scheme, which could take effect from July 2023.

As things stand at the moment, a medical professional qualified as a prescriber does have to authorise the use of prescription-only medications such as Botox and other branded wrinkle-relaxing toxins. They must be present at the consultation and take responsibility for the outcome of the treatment, but they can prescribe these injections for use by someone without a medical qualification, such as a beauty therapist.

At Medikaur, we believe that facial aesthetics treatments should only be administered by experienced and qualified medical professionals with in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy. All of the treatments we offer are administered by either Jane Paterson, an advanced aesthetic nurse practitioner, or Dr Gurpreet Gill, a general practitioner with a postgraduate qualification in aesthetic medicine.

3. Which facial aesthetics treatments are best for me?

It’s impossible to say which facial aesthetics treatments would be best for you without knowing more about your individual case. What would you like facial aesthetics treatments to help you achieve? Are you worried about loss of skin volume, fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, your skin looking dull and dehydrated, wanting to create more symmetry or a combination of issues?

The answers to these questions and more will help your clinician narrow down which treatment options would give you the best outcomes.

4. Is it possible to personalise treatments?

Absolutely! In fact, successful facial aesthetics treatments are all about personalising them to the individual to give the best results.

5. How discreet are facial aesthetics treatments?

A lot of our patients here at Medikaur want to improve their skin health and minimise the signs of ageing without it being immediately obvious that they’ve had aesthetic treatments. Non-surgical facial aesthetics treatments are ideal for this because the outcomes tend to be more subtle than with cosmetic surgery.

Many treatments also offer ongoing improvements. A product like Profhilo, for example, will stimulate natural collagen and elastin production, meaning that your skin continues to look healthier, smoother and more hydrated for weeks after your treatment.

It’s important to choose a clinician who understands what each treatment can achieve, as well as the structure of your face to ensure discreet but beautiful enhancements.

6. Do facial aesthetics treatments hurt?

Generally speaking, facial aesthetics treatments are comfortable and cause minimal pain. We use ultra-fine needles to deliver products such as dermal fillers and most brands include lidocaine for pain relief. If lidocaine is contraindicated for any reason, we have safe and minimally invasive alternatives.

If you are worried about how injectable or skin needling treatments will feel, you can opt to have an anaesthetic cream applied approximately half an hour before your treatment to numb your skin.

7. Do facial aesthetics treatments really require no downtime?

Again, this will depend on the treatment(s) you have. With most facial aesthetics treatments, there is little to no downtime.

Your clinician should always explain what to expect after a treatment so you can make sure that it fits in with your plans. With a Zo® Skin Health “Red Carpet” Peel, for example, some people experience slightly dry flaky skin for a couple of days post-treatment, so you might want to book a treatment like this a few days before a special event.

Similarly, we may recommend that you avoid wearing make-up for 12 to 24 hours after some treatments (for example, skin needling), so you might want to book these for a day when you’re happy to go make-up free.

8. Is it OK to have a facial before wrinkle relaxing injections?

It’s absolutely fine to have a facial treatment before wrinkle relaxing injections. However, we would advise against having a facial for at least 24 hours after wrinkle relaxing injections because it’s important to let the product settle. Indeed, if you’re planning any facial treatments in the two weeks after your wrinkle relaxing injections, please let us know so we can advise you accordingly.

You should always be given detailed aftercare instructions after any treatment.

9. Will my face be swollen and bruised after treatment?

As with several of the questions above, the answer depends on which treatment you have. Facial aesthetics treatments can cause slight redness, swelling and bruising (particularly at injection sites) but this usually self-resolves within 24 hours.

10. How long will my treatment appointment take?

Once again, the answer to this question depends on which treatment(s) you’re having. Typically, wrinkle relaxing injections take about 30 minutes, whereas lip fillers may take nearer one hour. You should be told how long your treatment will take during your initial consultation.

11. How long will the results of my treatment last?

As above, the answer to this question will vary according to the treatment given. Dermal fillers, for example, can last for between six to 18 months, depending on the type of filler and where it’s used. Whereas you might expect to see improvements from dermaplaning for six to 12 weeks.

Before you commit to any treatment, your clinician should always give you information about the realistic results you might expect to achieve and how long they will last.

12. What are the possible side effects of aesthetics treatments?

Most facial aesthetics treatments have a fantastic safety record, especially in the hands of an experienced medical practitioner. However, no treatment is completely without risk, and it is important to be aware of potential side effects.

Again, these will vary according to the treatment being given. Your clinician should give you a clear explanation of potential side effects, covering the most common right through to rarer outcomes so that you can make an informed choice.

13. How do I know facial aesthetics treatments are safe?

Products used for facial aesthetics treatments have been through extensive clinical trials and are used throughout the world. Therefore, a great deal of information about each product is in the public domain. We can signpost you to safety information about your proposed treatment.

In addition, you should always choose a clinician who has extensive experience of administering facial aesthetics treatments and who has supporting medical qualifications.

14. What do I need to do to get started?

We always recommend that you book a consultation appointment first. This is an opportunity to discuss what issues you would like to address and then explore the best treatment options for your goals, schedule and budget.

Book a consultation or request more information and we’ll be happy to help.

Gurpreet Gill15 December 2022