How to get the most from your med spa consultation

A good med spa consultation is where the value gets created or lost. This guide is about how to approach it as an informed patient — what to prepare, how to evaluate what you're being told, and how to recognize the difference between a provider who's thinking about your face and one who's thinking about revenue.

Before you go: prepare your history

Med spa consultations are more clinical than a day spa visit. Come prepared with:

Medical history relevant to aesthetics:
Any history of cold sores (herpes labialis) — relevant for many treatments
History of keloid or hypertrophic scarring — affects suitability for many procedures
Current medications (especially blood thinners, retinoids, NSAIDs, immunosuppressants)
Recent or current Accutane use (or within the last 12 months)
Any autoimmune conditions
Pregnancy status or plans
History of neuromuscular conditions (contraindication to neuromodulators)
Previous aesthetic treatments: what, where, when, how much

Knowing your previous filler history is critical. If you've had filler at other practices, you need to disclose this — the provider needs to know what's already present before adding more.

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What you want vs. what you're concerned about

The most useful thing you can tell a provider is not "I want Botox" but rather:

**"I'm bothered by _____ and I've been noticing it more when I see photos of myself."**

Describe the concern, not the treatment. Let the provider tell you what treatments address it. This does two things:
Allows the provider to recommend what's actually best (not just what you asked for)
Reveals whether they're listening to your concern or just selling a product

If you say "I want my lips done" and the provider does your lips without ever asking why, examining your lip anatomy, or discussing your overall facial balance — that's a provider focused on execution, not assessment.

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The anatomy conversation: what a good provider does

A quality provider will look at your whole face before recommending treatments for any individual area. This matters because:

Treating nasolabial folds with filler often makes more sense as a midface volume treatment
Treating under-eye hollows may be better addressed with cheek volume than direct tear trough filler
Treating forehead lines in isolation without discussing brow position can cause brow drop

Listen for whether the provider explains the relationship between areas. "Your nasolabial folds are partly caused by midface volume loss — if we restore the cheeks, the folds will improve without needing to inject them directly" is a sophisticated answer. "We can fill those folds" is a simpler one.

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Red flags in a consultation

Recommending more than 2–3 treatments at a first visit
A provider who recommends 6 treatments without knowing your goals, budget, or how you respond is pattern-matching to revenue, not to your face.

No discussion of what you already have
If you have prior filler and the provider doesn't ask about it or assess what's there, that's a problem.

Pressure to book before leaving
"We have a special only today" or "I can do you right now" are sales tactics, not clinical recommendations.

No discussion of downtime, risks, or alternatives
Informed consent requires that you understand the risks and alternatives. A provider who skips this is either rushed or not concerned with your understanding.

Before/after photos that only show fresh results
Fresh results (same day, 1 week) look different from healed results (2–4 weeks). Portfolios that only show fresh photos hide healing complications, settling, and swelling outcomes.

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Questions to ask at consultation

For any treatment:
What is this treatment actually doing at the tissue level?
What are the realistic results for someone with my specific anatomy?
What are the risks, and how often do you see complications from this?
What is your correction protocol if I'm not happy with the result?
Is there an alternative treatment that would address the same concern with different tradeoffs?

For injectables specifically:
Are you seeing any filler already present that I should know about before we add more?
For Botox: based on my muscle strength and movement patterns, what dosing do you recommend?

For a new practice:
Who is the medical director, and are they accessible if I have a complication?
What device/product will you be using, and is it FDA-cleared for this indication?

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How to evaluate what you're being told

Good signs in a consultation:
Provider examines your face at rest, in motion, and in different lighting
Provider discusses your face as a whole, not just the area you mentioned
Provider tells you a treatment they would NOT recommend for you (shows they're filtering, not just selling)
Provider gives you a realistic range of outcomes, including "this may improve it 40–60%, not completely eliminate it"
Provider asks about your lifestyle, budget, and recovery tolerance
Provider discusses how treatments in the plan relate to each other

Worth being skeptical of:
"This is the best treatment for everyone with your concern" — your anatomy is individual
"I can fix that completely" — most aesthetic concerns improve, not disappear
Claiming a device brand is better than all competitors without a reason specific to your anatomy
Any provider who gets defensive when you ask questions

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Getting a second opinion

It's completely appropriate to consult at more than one practice before booking a treatment. This is especially wise for:
Any treatment with significant downtime or irreversibility (surgical, deep peel)
Your first filler in a major area (lips, under-eyes, cheeks)
Any treatment over $1,000

Tell your second provider what the first recommended — their agreement or divergence is informative. If two experienced providers recommend the same treatment, your confidence in that recommendation is higher.

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After the consultation: what to do

Don't feel obligated to book at the appointment — leaving to think about it is always appropriate
Ask for the treatment plan in writing if it was multi-step
Review what was recommended against what your research suggests for your concern
Ask if they have a loyalty program or package pricing — many med spas offer discounts for series bookings, but only after you've decided you want the treatment

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