Find yourself in safe hands

Everyone has the right to look and feel their best. With an experienced doctor, dentist or nurse, non-invasive treatments are safe, effective and can dramatically boost self-confidence. But how can you make sure you are in safe hands? Here are our top tips to making sure your treatment lives up to expectations.

Ask the right questions and make the right checks

Do your research about the person treating you - your health and your safety are too important to let just anyone treat you.

Are they a doctor, or work in a medically-led profession such as dentistry? Do they have medical qualifications? Do they have additional training to carry out the procedure you are interested in?

It is important to ask the questions and for proof of their certification to ensure they are who they claim they are. Anyone with the right registration, qualifications and training will be happy and proud to share it with you.

1. Are they a registered medical or dental practitioner?

You can find out the full qualifications of the medical or dental practitioner you want to treat you from www.saveface.co.uk, the General Medical Council www.gmc-uk.org or the General Dental Council www.gdc-uk.org. Save Face also has a searchable database of certified medical practitioners who are appropriately qualified to provide the treatment you want.

2. Were you given time to consider the treatment or pressurised to make an immediate decision?

An ethical, medically trained practitioner will take a full medical history, give you an examination and then ask about your expectations for the treatment you would like to undergo. They will then give you a treatment plan and explain any potential risks, side effects, recovery time, and so on. They will not pressurise you to have treatment and will give you time to consider the implications - often suggesting you come back to the clinic on another day.

3. Are the clinic premises registered, clean and professional?

It could not be more important to make a full assessment about the professionalism of the clinical premises where you are going to be treated. Some clinics are also registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which regulates clinical premises and licenses them to carry out medical procedures. You can also ask them for a full run down of all their clinic protocols to ensure you are safe, and that there will be lowest risk of infection. Having treatment at a party is never advisable!

4. Ask about adverse incidents?

The cosmetic industry in the UK is largely unregulated, meaning anyone can legally provide injectable treatments. Whilst Botulinum Toxin A is only available on prescription to medical professionals, dermal fillers are freely available. To ensure the highest safety levels, ethical aesthetics companies such as Sinclair Pharma will only train medical professionals - selected doctors and dentists and in some cases, highly experienced nurse practitioners - to treat with its products. As a result, the number of adverse incidents reported which relate to their products are extremely low.

So it is highly advisable to ask the person you would like to treat you if they have reported any adverse incidents, especially in the procedure you are considering. You may also be able to research the product or brand you are going to be treated with to find out its adverse incident levels.

5. Check out their reviews

Another way to establish the efficacy of the medical professional you would like to treat you is to check out their reviews. You can read what patients have said about them on sites like Trust Pilot, RealSelf and Google Reviews. Patients use the site to share their honest opinions about their treatment, the level of service they received, and so on. How many 5 star reviews do they have? It is another indication of how well they are rated. Many industry websites also list the practitioners who have undertaken additional training to ensure they are qualified to treat with their products - so it is also a good place to seek reassurance.