Treatment preparation and aftercare work best as one plan. Before your appointment, bring your health history, current medicines and supplements, allergies, previous care dates, recent health or skin changes, timing constraints and questions. Before leaving the clinic, make sure you understand your individual written instructions, who to contact, what to monitor and when review is planned. General online advice cannot replace instructions from the practitioner who assessed you.
What Does Good Preparation Actually Mean?
Good preparation is not about choosing a procedure at home or arriving with a perfect description. It means bringing enough accurate context for a useful conversation: what you notice, what you would like to preserve, relevant health details, prior care and any timing constraints.
Aftercare begins in that same conversation. Before you decide, you should understand the practical follow-up, how to contact the clinic and what individual instructions would apply if suitable care proceeds.
Before The Day: Build A Short Health And Timing Note
Write down current medicines and supplements, allergies, relevant health conditions, previous cosmetic care and dates, and recent dental, skin or medical changes. Include pregnancy or breastfeeding where relevant, a recent illness, and broken or infected skin near the area you want assessed.
Add events, travel, exercise, work or caring commitments and whether you can return for review. Contact the clinic before the appointment if you are unsure whether a new health change affects the visit.
Bring The Question, Not A Self-Diagnosis
You can start with plain language: “this side looks different”, “I notice this more when I move” or “I want to understand why the lower face feels less balanced”. Photographs may help explain a change over time, but they do not need to prove a diagnosis or desired outcome.
Useful questions include what may be contributing, what remains uncertain, which options fit the assessment, what the material risks and limits are, what alternatives exist and what follow-up would involve.
Could Care Be Discussed On The Same Day?
Some guests may be able to discuss suitable care after assessment and informed consent when proceeding is clinically appropriate and the practical plan is clear. The consultation remains a real decision point, not a promise made by the booking.
You are equally welcome to take more time, return with information or choose a staged plan. The aim is a comfortable, informed decision rather than a rushed one.
Before You Leave: Confirm The Aftercare Plan
Ask which written instructions apply to you, what ordinary early changes may occur, what deserves prompt contact, how to reach the clinic during and after opening hours, and when review is planned. Confirm any individual advice about work, exercise, travel, driving, skin care or support at home.
Keep those instructions easy to find and save the clinic contact details. A clear handover is more useful than trying to remember a long conversation later.
At Home: Follow The Individual Instructions
General articles can help you understand the questions, but they cannot account for your history, the area assessed or the care actually provided. Follow the written plan from the treating clinic. If advice seems unclear or conflicts with something else you have read, ask the clinic rather than combining instructions yourself.
Record the time and nature of a change when that would help a review. Use photographs only if the clinic requests them or they help explain what you are noticing; they do not replace direct assessment when one is needed.
If Something Does Not Feel Right
Use the clinic contact and escalation pathway supplied with your individual aftercare. Do not wait for a routine review if the instructions tell you to make prompt contact.
For a critical or life-threatening emergency in Australia, call triple zero (000). For non-emergency health advice, healthdirect is available 24 hours a day on 1800 022 222. These services do not replace the treating clinic’s review pathway, and a general webpage cannot decide how urgent your situation is.
Why These Checks Are Part Of Responsible Care
Ahpra’s current guidelines for registered health practitioners performing non-surgical cosmetic procedures describe individual assessment, capacity and informed consent, relevant health and psychosocial history, material risks, alternatives and follow-up responsibilities. They do not make every person suitable or replace professional scope and judgement.
TGA guidance requires public advertising to focus on health services and consultations without directly or indirectly promoting prescription-only therapeutic goods. That is why this guide explains preparation, consent and follow-up without naming products or presenting a treatment shortcut.
Is this for you?
Consider booking a consultation if
- You want one calm checklist for appointment preparation and follow-up
- You want to bring accurate health, medicine, allergy and previous care information
- You want to understand consent, written instructions, clinic contact and review planning
- You want to discuss suitable care without deciding the pathway before assessment
This may not be for you if
- Your immediate need is emergency care rather than general appointment information
- You need personalised advice about a change after care already provided by another clinic
- You want to change a prescribed medicine without speaking to the prescribing or treating clinician
- You need an area-specific instruction that should come from your treating clinic or the relevant guide
Suitability is confirmed at consultation. This list is general guidance, not a substitute for clinical assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What should I bring to a cosmetic consultation?
Bring an up-to-date list of medicines and supplements, allergies, relevant health conditions, previous cosmetic care and dates, and any advice or records another clinician has asked you to share. Add upcoming events, travel or exercise commitments and the questions you most want answered. You do not need to arrive knowing which option to request.
Should I stop medicines or supplements before my appointment?
Do not stop a prescribed medicine, or change how you take it, based only on a general preparation guide. Tell Corey what you take, including non-prescription products and supplements. If a change might be relevant, the clinic can explain whether you should contact the clinician who prescribed or manages it before any decision is made.
What health changes should I tell the clinic about?
Tell the clinic about a recent illness, new medicine, allergy, pregnancy or breastfeeding, a change in a health condition, broken or infected skin near the area, or recent dental, skin or cosmetic care that may affect planning. Contacting the clinic before travelling can make the appointment calmer and help you bring any useful information.
Can suitable care be discussed at the same appointment?
It may be possible to discuss suitable care after Corey has completed the assessment and informed-consent process, provided proceeding is clinically appropriate and you feel comfortable. You can also choose to take more time, return with further information or use the appointment to understand your options. Booking does not pressure you to make an immediate decision.
What aftercare information should I receive before leaving?
You should know which instructions apply to your individual care, what common changes may occur, what needs prompt contact, how to reach the clinic, whether there is an after-hours pathway and when review is planned. Ask for clarification while the discussion is fresh. Keep the written instructions somewhere easy to find rather than relying on memory.
Can general aftercare advice replace my clinic instructions?
No. General information can help you prepare questions, but it cannot account for the area assessed, your health history, the care provided or the practitioner’s findings. Follow the individual written instructions supplied by your treating clinic. If two pieces of advice appear to conflict, contact that clinic for clarification instead of guessing.
Should I plan transport or help at home?
Ask before the appointment whether your individual plan could affect driving, exercise, work, caring responsibilities or the help you may want at home. Requirements differ, so a universal rule would be misleading. Sharing travel, event and support constraints early helps Corey explain practical timing and whether your proposed day leaves sensible access to follow-up.
Who should I contact if I am worried after care?
Use the contact and escalation instructions supplied by the treating clinic. For a critical or life-threatening emergency in Australia, call triple zero (000). For non-emergency health advice, healthdirect is available on 1800 022 222, but it does not replace the treating clinic’s review pathway or emergency care when that is required.
How is this guide different from the aftercare-instructions page?
This is the broad planning page: it joins information to bring before the visit with the follow-up details to confirm before leaving. The aftercare-instructions page explains how to read and use clinic directions. The recovery-timeline page helps organise expected review points, while area-specific guides cover questions unique to a particular consultation.
Is this page personal medical advice?
No. It is a preparation framework for adults considering consultation-led cosmetic care. Personal advice requires an individual assessment by an appropriately qualified practitioner who can review your health history, goals, timing and the care being considered. If you have symptoms or an urgent concern, use the appropriate clinic, medical or emergency pathway.
Clinical references
- Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures
- Advertising health services that involve therapeutic goods
- Advertising health services and cosmetic injections: frequently asked questions and answers
- Contact healthdirect and emergency guidance
- Calling triple zero (000)