Questions to Ask Your Cosmetic Injector Before Any Treatment

Before committing to any cosmetic injectable treatment, the questions you ask at your consultation reveal as much about the clinic as the answers do. A practitioner who answers clearly, specifically and honestly is giving you an important signal about the kind of care you will receive. A practitioner who is vague, dismissive or evasive is giving you a different kind of signal.

This article lists the questions worth asking, and explains what good answers look like, from the clinical perspective of Corey Anderson at Core Aesthetics in Oakleigh.

Questions About Practitioner Credentials

Are you AHPRA registered and what is your registration number?

This is the foundational question. Cosmetic injectable products are prescription medicines in Australia and should only be prescribed and administered by practitioners with appropriate AHPRA registration. A straightforward, specific answer is the only acceptable response. If a practitioner cannot or will not provide their AHPRA registration number, you can search the public register yourself at ahpra.gov.au. Corey Anderson’s registration number is NMW0001047575, registered since January 1996.

How long have you been registered and what specific training do you have in this procedure?

Registration date and overall nursing experience matter. Under the September 2025 AHPRA guidelines, registered nurses must now have at least 12 months of full time clinical experience before expanding into cosmetic procedures. The specific training relevant to the procedure you are considering is also a fair question. A practitioner with substantive clinical experience and documented ongoing education in aesthetic medicine is in a different position to one who has recently added cosmetic injectables to their practice. For context on what the new training requirements mean, see our overview of the new AHPRA guidelines for 2025.

Questions About the Consultation

Will you conduct a full individual assessment before making any recommendation?

The answer should be an unambiguous yes. A proper consultation involves assessing your facial anatomy, your skin quality, your medical history and your goals before any treatment is discussed. A consultation that begins with a predetermined treatment plan or skips the clinical assessment is not a consultation in any meaningful clinical sense. It is a booking process disguised as a consultation. Our article on what happens at an injectables consultation describes what a genuine assessment looks like.

Will you tell me honestly if treatment is not appropriate for me?

This is a revealing question. A practitioner whose livelihood depends on performing treatment has a financial incentive to recommend it. Ask explicitly whether they will tell you if treatment is not right for your situation. Their answer, and the confidence with which they give it, tells you something important about their clinical values. At Core Aesthetics, a consultation outcome of “not appropriate right now” or “a different approach would work better” is as valid as one that results in a treatment booking.

Questions About Realistic Outcomes

What realistic improvement can I expect for my individual face?

Ask about your face, not about the treatment in general. A practitioner who has genuinely assessed your anatomy will give you a specific, proportionate answer about what is achievable for your individual situation. A practitioner who gives you a generic answer about what the treatment can do is not yet assessing you as an individual. The distinction matters enormously for your expectations and your satisfaction with the outcome.

Are there any reasons treatment might not be appropriate for me?

This question invites the practitioner to think about your individual contraindications, medical history and suitability factors out loud. A practitioner who engages with this question is conducting a proper individual assessment. One who brushes past it is not.

Questions About Safety and Aftercare

What happens if I have a concern after my treatment?

Before any procedure, you should have a clear answer to this question. How do you contact the clinic? What is the process if swelling is more than expected? What happens in the event of a more serious complication? A responsible practice has clear, direct answers. Our articles on anti wrinkle aftercare and dermal filler aftercare give you a sense of what responsible post treatment guidance looks like.

What are the risks of this specific treatment?

All injectable treatments carry risks. A practitioner who explains the risks specific to the procedure being discussed, in plain language and proportionate to the actual risk profile, is giving you genuine informed consent material. A practitioner who minimises or glosses over risks is not. Our patient safety page covers how Core Aesthetics approaches informed consent.

A Final Question Worth Asking Yourself

After the consultation, ask yourself whether the practitioner listened to your concerns, whether their recommendation was clearly based on what they observed in your face rather than a standard protocol, and whether you felt any pressure to proceed. The answer to that last question in particular is informative. For more guidance, see our article on red flags when choosing a cosmetic injector in Melbourne and our guide to choosing a cosmetic clinic in Melbourne.

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General Information Only. This article is general in nature and does not replace a consultation with a qualified health practitioner. Treatment outcomes, suitability and risks vary by individual. Any medical or prescription treatment options can only be discussed and provided where clinically appropriate following an individual assessment.