How to Choose a Medical Aesthetic Clinic: The Questions to Ask

• Who performs the procedure: ask for the person’s full name, their training for that specific procedure and the planned supervision; the doctor assesses and establishes the treatment plan, and may have an authorized professional carry out the treatment.
• Verify: look for the doctor’s listing in the Collège des médecins du Québec directory; for a nurse, use the OIIQ’s “Vérifier le droit d’exercice” tool. Ask the relevant regulatory body to explain any status you do not understand. These checks do not guarantee the result.
• Product or device: ask for its exact name and its use; for a laser, Health Canada recommends checking that it is licensed for the intended technique.
• Before deciding: the assessment must cover your expectations, your health, the options, the risks, recovery and follow-up, and you must know whom to contact afterwards.
• No pressure: consent must be freely given, without pressure or promises, with enough time to think; doing nothing remains an option.

You are considering an aesthetic treatment and want to know whom to trust with it. Before choosing, ask who will perform the procedure on your skin and under what supervision. Searching for the “best medical aesthetic clinic” is not enough: a clinic that suits everyone does not exist. To compare, ask each clinic the same questions, for the same procedure.

In Quebec, a search for the “best medical aesthetic clinic” can lead you to rankings, promises or photos of treatment rooms. These images and rankings tell you nothing about the person who will treat you. The criteria that matter can be checked with the professional regulatory bodies and Health Canada.

A clinic’s name does not tell you who will hold the syringe or use the device. Ask for the full name of the person who will perform the procedure, their title, their training and their experience for that specific procedure. The title of doctor or nurse is not enough: each professional must have the knowledge and skills required for every procedure they perform, and keep them up to date.

Then ask who supervises. In medical aesthetics, the doctor assesses each person, makes the diagnosis and establishes the treatment plan; the doctor may carry out the treatment personally or entrust it to an authorized professional. For aesthetic injections, the nurse acts under an individual prescription and according to a detailed plan specific to the person: collective prescriptions are no longer authorized. The nurse assesses you before each treatment, changes the plan only if it includes a protocol for that purpose, and refers you back to the prescriber if the treatment cannot be given. The conditions are not the same for all procedures. Ask who assesses you, who establishes your treatment plan and who sees you before each session.

At CARE MD too, ask who will assess you and who will carry out the treatment being considered. Ask our professionals to clarify each person’s role and the supervision planned for that procedure. A name on a team does not answer these questions.

Start by asking for the person’s full name. For a doctor, look for the listing in the Collège des médecins du Québec’s “Bottin des médecins et des résidents en médecine” (physician and resident directory). If you have a question about the doctor’s status or right to practise, ask the Collège to explain it. For a nurse, the OIIQ’s public tool “Vérifier le droit d’exercice” (verify the right to practise) shows the measures or sanctions that may affect the right to practise of the person you look up. The two professions are regulated by different professional bodies: contact the one that regulates the person who will treat you.

These checks concern one person, not an entire clinic. They guarantee no result and do not demonstrate the person’s skill with a specific device. So ask them what training and experience they have for your treatment.

You want to make a wrinkle, a spot or another sign that bothers you less noticeable: first explain what you want to change and the result you hope for. The doctor must discuss your expectations and judge whether they are realistic; if they are not, the doctor should decide not to go ahead. The choice of device comes after this assessment, not before.

Your health matters too. Gather information about your medical history, medications and previous aesthetic treatments, then ask the doctor how these affect the procedure being considered: should it be postponed, not carried out, or replaced with another option? For a laser, also have your skin type assessed; its colour is one of the factors that influence the effect of the treatment.

Before deciding, ask for an explanation of how the treatment works, who it is appropriate for, what it can change and what it will not do. Ask how long recovery lasts, how many sessions are planned and how often, and what maintaining the effect involves. These answers must take your situation into account. For a laser, the number of treatments, the settings and skin colour influence the effect obtained.

The doctor must also present the other options to you, including what would happen if you refused the treatment. Ask what each option would involve and what recovery would be like. A facility’s reputation is no substitute for these explanations.

Ask for the exact name of the device or product and the technique for which it would be used. For a laser, make sure the instrument is licensed by Health Canada for the intended technique: its approved uses, expected benefits and risks are described in the operator’s or training manual provided by the manufacturer.

Health Canada’s list of licensed medical devices can be searched by company name, device name, licence name or number, or identifier: with the exact name, you can find the device. It covers Class II, III and IV devices; the absence of a Class I device does not make it illegal. For an injected product, ask for its exact name, its intended use in Canada and which official resource you can use to check its status for that use. Ask whether it is a drug or a medical device: do not choose a verification tool based only on the word “injectable”.

A device’s licence does not guarantee your result and does not certify the facility that uses it. For a laser, the choice of instrument, the person’s training, the settings and your skin influence effectiveness and risks. Ask why this device is being considered for you and what use appears in the manufacturer’s documentation. An advertisement does not answer these questions.

No aesthetic treatment is risk-free. Even when a laser is appropriate for a treatment, it can cause immediate pain, reddening of the skin, bruising and swelling. These temporary effects are not a complete list of the risks. Also ask which complications the treatment being considered can cause, whether they can leave lasting effects and which signs require prompt medical attention.

For lasers, the choice of instrument, the training and skill of the person, the wavelength, the settings, the number of treatments and skin colour influence effectiveness and risks. During an assessment, the doctor must determine whether the treatment suits you. Also ask what recovery to expect and how follow-up will be provided; knowing these arrangements does not guarantee the absence of complications. Before deciding, check that the laser is licensed for the intended technique and ask why it is suitable for your skin, as Health Canada recommends in Cosmetic Laser Treatments.

Laser treatment is only an example. For any other procedure, ask about its specific risks and the risks relevant to you: what effects are expected, what complications are possible, when should you decide against treatment, and what should you do if you experience a side effect?

Before deciding, ask whom to contact if an effect worries you and who will manage any problem. Professionals must know how to treat complications, but you also need clear follow-up arrangements: the name of the person to contact, how to reach them, the signs that call for help and the care planned after recovery. Keep this information within reach.

If you have had a difficult experience with a nurse, you can share your concerns with the OIIQ, which will advise you. This option is available after the event: it is no substitute for medical care and cannot be used to claim damages, which fall under the jurisdiction of the civil courts.

Consent must be freely given, without pressure, threats, coercion or promises, whether from the doctor or those around you. This requires that you have understood the benefits, risks and options in plain language, had the opportunity to ask questions and receive satisfactory answers, and had enough time to think. A leaflet is not enough, and neither is a signature: it does not prove that your consent was freely given and informed.

Write down the questions that remain unanswered and ask for explanations before committing. Compare the answers and take time to decide. A promotion ending soon, an add-on offered on the spot or a promise of results is no substitute for these answers. Doing nothing remains an option, and the doctor must present it to you along with the others.

Ask every clinic the same questions, for the same procedure, and compare the answers rather than the promises:

• Who will perform the procedure, what is their full name, and what training and experience does this person have for this procedure?
• Who assesses me, who develops my treatment plan, and what arrangements are in place for supervision and a prescription?
• Can I find this person in the Collège des médecins du Québec directory or in the OIIQ tool?
• How do my medical history, medications and previous aesthetic treatments affect this procedure? Which contraindications need to be checked, and what other options do I have, including doing nothing?
• Which exact device or product will be used, for what purpose, and which official resource can I use to check its status?
• What effects can I expect, and what are their limitations? What recovery, number of sessions and maintenance should I expect?
• Which risks apply to this procedure and to me: temporary effects, possible complications, possible lasting effects and signs that require prompt medical attention?
• Whom do I contact after the procedure, how do I reach them, and who will manage any problem?
• How much time do I have to think, and what happens if I choose to do nothing?

Ask these questions of the CARE MD clinic too: the same criteria apply to it.

If you are considering an aesthetic clinic in Sainte-Thérèse, check where you will have to go and how to reach it before booking.

The Global Aesthetic consultation is an opportunity to have your situation assessed and ask your questions, without confirming a procedure or a result in advance.