TREATMENTS · INDEPENDENT · SELLS NOTHING
A calm, plain-English look at what happens before, during and after a cosmetic treatment, written for Australian readers who are new to treatments or are weighing one up. We don’t perform treatments or take bookings, so there is nothing here to sell you.
ON THIS PAGE
1 What a treatment involves
2 Questions for a consultation
3 Courses, maintenance and aftercare
4 When it is worth waiting
AFTERCARE IS PART OF THE TREATMENT
Aftercare is part of the treatment, not an extra. Ask what it involves before you start.
1 · WHAT A TREATMENT INVOLVES
Most information about treatments comes from people selling them, so the picture you see first tends to be the appointment itself. In practice, a cosmetic treatment is a sequence: a consultation, the session or sessions, a period of aftercare, and sometimes ongoing maintenance.
Our guides take each stage in turn and explain it in plain English: what usually happens, what you might be asked, and what is worth clarifying in writing. We don’t describe results as permanent or guaranteed, because no honest guide can.
If some of the terms are new to you, our plain-English glossary and skincare basics are good places to begin.
2 · QUESTIONS FOR A CONSULTATION
Who will carry out the treatment, and what are their qualifications?
How many sessions are typical, and is the price you have been given for one session or the whole course?
What does aftercare involve, and is there anything you should avoid in the days afterwards?
Is maintenance expected, and how often?
What happens if you change your mind partway through a course?
There are no wrong questions here. A clear, unhurried answer is a good sign; pressure to decide on the day is worth noticing.
A COURSE CAN INCLUDE
Sessions, often spaced weeks apart
Maintenance appointments later on
Aftercare at home between visits
3 · COURSES, MAINTENANCE AND AFTERCARE
Clinics often quote only a single session. That is useful to know, but it can leave you surprised by the total once a course, maintenance and aftercare are added together.
Our treatment cost guide looks at the whole journey rather than one appointment, and every figure in it comes from a dated, citable source. To turn that into a plan of your own, read budgeting for treatments. For a personal quote, only a practitioner can help.
4 · WHEN IT IS WORTH WAITING
Our guides are written for general understanding. They are not the right fit if you have a skin condition, a reaction or a medical issue; in that case, please speak with your GP or another qualified health professional first.
If you are close to a decision, our common treatment mistakes series and the short checklist on what to avoid before you commit set out practical checks, without scare tactics.
RELATED READING
Start here: a beginner’s path — if this is your first look at treatments
Treatment cost guide — the whole journey, not one session
How we research our guides — sources, dates and corrections
Further reading — longer explainers across the guides
Spotted something we should correct, or a question we haven’t covered? Ask us; a real person reads every message.