"Consultation-led" appears on almost every clinic website, including ours. This is what it should mean, and how to tell whether a clinic means it.
Assessment before answer
Consultation-led means treatment comes at the end of an assessment. You arrive with a concern. The clinician works out what is driving it, and only then whether any treatment addresses that cause. Sometimes the answer to "can I have filler here?" is "you could, but it won't fix what's bothering you."
The option of no
A consultation should be able to end with no treatment. If every consultation at a clinic ends in a booking, that is selling, not assessment. Some of the most useful consultations end with reassurance, a skincare change or a referral elsewhere.
Time to decide
You should be able to go home and decide. Saying "let me think about it" should never feel awkward. For prescription-only medicines a consultation is legally required first anyway, and a good clinic allows the same thinking time for every treatment.
Realistic, specific expectations
Vague promises are easy. A good consultation gets specific: what improvement is realistic for you, over what timeframe, at what cost, with what maintenance, and with what risks.
What this looks like at our clinic
Treatment at Abi Peters Skin Clinic always starts with a consultation: a skin consultation or, for injectable options, a medical consultation with our prescriber. Plans are written down, priced clearly and left with you, and you decide in your own time.