6 Ways You Can Be Confident You’ve Found A Well-Trained Practitioner

With so many people and clinics now offering aesthetic tweakments it can feel like a minefield to decide who to see (especially when – quite rightly, you want to keep safety as well as great results front of mind). We spoke to Dr Emily Mehta, co-founder of Harley Academy, the UK’s leading postgraduate training provider in aesthetic medicine, to discover six easy-to-follow top tips for finding a good, well-trained practitioner…

1. Know the difference between regulated and unregulated training

This is a big one. “Patients should be aware that many courses in aesthetics are unregulated and provide only minimal training,” warns Dr Mehta. Why does that matter? Because someone saying they’ve ‘done a course’, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re properly trained, or medically qualified to provide a treatment.

Instead, you need to look for “a regulated qualification run by a specialist aesthetic training academy that sets consistent, recognised standards and ensures practitioners are properly trained in both theory and practice,” Dr Mehta continues. Many of these academy courses for toxin and filler for example are only open to those with existing medical training, such as doctors, dentists and nurse prescribers.

The red flags: Vague or multiple “masterclass” certificates with no recognised awarding body. Or, claims of being “fully certified” without stating whether the course was regulated.

What to look for: Certificates from recognised institutions that specify a regulated qualification (e.g a Diploma or a Masters).

2. Confirm your practitioner has plenty of hands-on experience 

You wouldn’t trust someone to fly a plane after just one lesson, would you? It is the same with aesthetic training! The quality and length of a practitioner’s training is so important.

“While there are many short courses available, these may not provide enough depth or practical experience. Good training goes beyond a single weekend course,” warns Dr Mehta. It is certainly not enough for someone to have simply observed a treatment, or learnt the theory alone.

The red flags: Another thing to watch out for, says Dr Mehta, is an “over-emphasis on trends and product training as these are signs they have attended manufacturer-provided sessions designed mainly to sell products, not to educate.”

What to look for: The best kind of training “combines in-depth education in anatomy, patient assessment, and ethics with substantial supervised, hands-on practice, preparing practitioners to manage both routine treatments and complications,” says Dr Mehta.

6. Be careful when getting cheaper treatments as a ‘model’ 

Like the idea of getting discounted treatments by volunteering to be a model? Even if you have a limited budget, please don’t compromise your safety by becoming a guinea pig for untrained, unsupervised hands! Especially because there are other options available.

You can head to training academies for a reduced-rate treatment if you want to, but “we recommend patients only visit training academies that work exclusively with qualified medical professionals” (aka doctors, dentists and nurse prescribers),” says Dr Mehta.

That’s exactly the case at The Academy Clinic, which is Harley Academy’s own patient-facing training clinic. Here, trainees work under supervision while treating real patients, meaning you can get high-quality, affordable treatments performed safely by medical professionals — while the practitioners gain valuable real-world experience.

If you do choose this route, keep these four things firmly in mind, concludes Dr Mehta:

1. Make sure they have a supervising practitioner – and verify their credentials too!

All treatments performed by a trainee should be supervised by a suitably trained medical professional. It is just as important to check the qualifications of the trainer as it is to know the background of the trainee, especially as you are relying on them to help keep you safe.

2. Be totally clear on the risks

A responsible practitioner will always explain what will happen during a treatment and the potential side effects. Be aware that certain common side effects such as slight bruising or swelling might be more likely in less experienced hands – and if you are ever worried about something even when the treatment has started, speak up and get clarification!

3. Know who is responsible if things do go wrong

Regardless of a practitioner’s level of training, things can go wrong, so you need to know who will handle issues if they arise. For example, if the decision is made that you need or want to dissolve your filler, many experts will say the same practitioner needs to treat you – which can be a little daunting or feel strange if you were really unhappy with their original work. However, this is actually standard practice as practitioners don’t often like to try to correct someone else’s mistakes. If that would really worry you, see if the facility will guarantee you’d be seen by a senior expert.

4. Keep your standards just as high

Just because you are being treated as a ‘model’ doesn’t mean you should let things slide. You still need to be treated in a professional, hygienic setting, and have a thorough consultation where you can ask questions about the procedure to check it is the right thing for you. Even as a model, you should never feel pressured into treatment, and you should have just as much access to aftercare support, too.

About The Academy Clinic and Harley Academy

Harley Academy is the UK’s leading postgraduate training provider in aesthetic medicine. Launched by Dr Tristan Mehta, Dr Emily Mehta, and Dr Marcus Mehta, it works in partnership with The Academy Clinic – a patient-facing training clinic.

Harley Academy has now acquired SkinViva, another leading UK training provider. This means practitioners can gain better access to high-quality training, including Harley Academy’s well-recognised injectables Diploma, delivered by a broader team of expert trainers across more locations. For patients, this means more practitioners who are trained to recognised standards — ultimately raising safety and quality across the industry.

Interested in other helpful tips and tricks for getting the most out of your tweakment experiences? Head to The Guide to view our full selection of articles.