Questions to Ask Your Aesthetic Doctor

How to use this consultation checklist

This is a list of questions to take into the consultation room, with a short note under each on what a clear, reassuring answer usually sounds like. You do not need to ask all 25. Tick the ones that matter for your treatment, print the page or keep it open on your phone, and note the answers as you go.

It sits alongside four other guides, each with a different job. If you are still deciding which clinic to see, start with how to choose an aesthetic clinic in Singapore. To run the three official register searches before you go, use how to check an aesthetic clinic licence. For warning signs that mean you should leave, read aesthetic clinic red flags. And if you are coming to IN Eternity Clinic, your first visit explains what happens on the day.

A clinic that welcomes these questions is usually one that can answer them. Asking is not rude; it is part of informed consent, which the Singapore Medical Council expects doctors to obtain before any aesthetic procedure.

Print this checklist

Questions about the doctor and the clinic

1. 1. Who will examine me, and who will actually carry out the treatment?A good answer sounds like: A named doctor for the assessment and for any injection. If another member of staff carries out part of a treatment, such as some laser sessions, you are told who, under whose supervision, and when the doctor sees you again. A US study found a rising share of laser injury claims involved procedures performed by non-doctors.
2. 2. What is your full registered name, so I can check it on the SMC register?A good answer sounds like: Given readily, with the medical registration (MCR) number if you ask. You can search it yourself on the SMC’s Search for Registered Doctors; a listing means a currently valid practising certificate.
3. 3. Which aesthetic procedures are you approved to perform under the SMC guidelines?A good answer sounds like: A direct answer. Not every registered doctor may perform every aesthetic procedure: the SMC Guidelines on Aesthetic Practices for Doctors set out which procedures need specific accreditation. A good doctor can tell you where your treatment sits.
4. 4. Is this clinic licensed by MOH, and under what name?A good answer sounds like: Yes, with the licensee name and licence on display. The name on the door, the receipt and the licence should match, or the link between a brand name and the licensee should be explained. IN Eternity Clinic’s licence, for example, is MDS/001/252. You can look up licensed providers in the HealthHub directory.
5. 5. How often do you perform this treatment, and what do you do when it does not go to plan?A good answer sounds like: An honest, specific answer about experience with this exact procedure, not a general claim, and a calm description of how problems are recognised and handled. Hesitation on the second half is more telling than a modest number.

Questions about the treatment and the device

1. 6. What do you think is causing my concern?A good answer sounds like: A specific explanation after examining you: volume loss, loose skin, pigment type, scar type, muscle activity. The cause decides the treatment, so a menu of options before you have been examined is a weak start.
2. 7. Why this treatment for me, and what are the alternatives, including doing nothing?A good answer sounds like: The reasoning in plain words, at least one alternative with its trade-offs, and permission to wait. Doing nothing is a legitimate option for many cosmetic concerns.
3. 8. What will this treatment not do?A good answer sounds like: Clear limits. For example, a skin booster improves skin quality but does not lift; a tightening device does not replace lost volume. A doctor who can say what a treatment will not do is easier to trust on what it will do.
4. 9. Which exact device or product will you use, and why that one for my skin?A good answer sounds like: The brand and model named, for a device, and why its wavelength, depth or energy suits your skin type. For skin types III to V, common in Singapore, you should hear how the risk of pigment darkening is reduced.
5. 10. How many sessions, how far apart, and when will we judge the result?A good answer sounds like: A hedged range rather than a fixed promise, a realistic timeline (collagen-based results take months to show), and a review point where results are compared with photographs taken today. How long results usually last is set out in how long aesthetic treatments last.

Questions about product authenticity and HSA registration

1. 11. What exactly will be injected or used: brand, product name and roughly how much?A good answer sounds like: The product named precisely, not just “filler” or “booster”, with an estimate of the amount and a note that the final amount is recorded in your file.
2. 12. Can I see the sealed box and the batch label before you start?A good answer sounds like: Yes, without fuss. The pack is opened in front of you, and the batch or lot sticker goes into your notes so the product can be traced later if needed.
3. 13. Is it registered with HSA, and where does the clinic buy it?A good answer sounds like: Registered, and bought through the local authorised distributor. You can check a medical device or therapeutic product yourself on HSA Infosearch using the brand name on the box. Products bought abroad or online are a common source of concern.
4. 14. If something is not right, can it be reversed, and is the reversal agent kept here?A good answer sounds like: For hyaluronic acid fillers: yes, they can be dissolved with hyaluronidase, and it is kept on site for emergencies. For biostimulators such as Sculptra, Radiesse and Ellansé: an honest “no, they cannot be dissolved”, which is why they are placed conservatively.

Questions about risks and complications

1. 15. What are the common side effects, and how long do they usually last?A good answer sounds like: Specific and ordinary: for injectables, swelling, tenderness and bruising for a few days; for lasers, redness, warmth and sometimes fine crusting. You should also hear how they are managed and when they usually settle.
2. 16. What are the rare but serious risks, and how would you recognise and treat them?A good answer sounds like: Named plainly. For fillers, the key rare risk is a filler blocking a blood vessel, which can damage skin and, very rarely, eyesight; a good answer explains the warning signs, the emergency protocol and the reversal agent kept on site. For lasers, burns and pigment changes.
3. 17. Is there anything in my history that changes the risk or the timing?A good answer sounds like: Questions back to you: medicines (including acne tablets and blood thinners), pregnancy or breastfeeding, cold sores, keloid scarring, autoimmune conditions, recent sun exposure, and previous fillers, threads or surgery. A doctor who asks nothing about your history has not assessed your risk.
4. 18. Is my skin type at higher risk of pigment changes after this treatment?A good answer sounds like: A frank answer. Darker and Asian skin types have a higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after some resurfacing, so settings, intervals, preparation and sun protection are adjusted, and a test area may be suggested.

Questions about aftercare and review

1. 19. What should I do and avoid in the first few days?A good answer sounds like: Practical, written aftercare: make-up, exercise, heat, saunas, sun, skincare actives and sleeping position, with how long each applies to this specific treatment.
2. 20. Who do I contact if something worries me, including outside clinic hours?A good answer sounds like: A named route, such as the clinic’s WhatsApp line during hours, plus what to do out of hours and which symptoms mean you should not wait. Urgent signs after a filler, such as spreading pale or dusky skin or changes in vision, need same-day attention.
3. 21. Is a review appointment included, and when is it?A good answer sounds like: Yes, with a date, timed to when the result can actually be judged: once swelling has settled for injectables, and later for collagen-building treatments.
4. 22. How will we decide whether it worked?A good answer sounds like: By comparing standardised photographs taken today, in the same light and position, with photographs at review, against the goal agreed now. Not by memory or by a mirror on a different day.

Questions about cost and what is included

1. 23. What is the total cost of the whole plan, not just one session?A good answer sounds like: A written estimate for the full course, including likely maintenance, rather than a per-session or per-shot price that leaves the total open.
2. 24. What exactly is included: consultation, numbing, review, adjustments, aftercare?A good answer sounds like: An itemised answer. You should know whether the review visit, any small adjustment at review and aftercare products are included or charged separately, and what the consultation fee is and when it is waived.
3. 25. What happens if I want time to think, or change my mind?A good answer sounds like: Time to think, without pressure and without a price that expires today. If a package is offered, you should be told clearly what happens to unused sessions.

Three questions to answer for yourself first

• What exactly bothers me? Point to it in a mirror or a photo. “I look tired” is a starting point; “the hollow under my eyes in the afternoon” is more useful.
• What would a good result look like, and by when? Mention events, travel or a wedding, because downtime and timing matter.
• What is my budget for the whole plan, not one session? It is reasonable to say so; a good doctor will prioritise rather than pile on.

Bring a list of your medicines and supplements, details of any previous aesthetic treatments (product names if you have them) and, if you like, a photograph of yourself from some years ago. At IN Eternity Clinic the consultation fee is S$120 and is waived if you go ahead with any medical treatment; see fees and how we consult.

Print the checklist

Frequently asked questions