Contact & consultation

Arranging an assessment

Outpatient appointments are booked through the hospital on the numbers below; international patients can ask for Michael Yu. Bring a written list of what you want to change and what you would refuse, and bring any photographs of your skin from earlier years if you have them, because how a complaint has changed over time is part of the assessment.

What a good assessment includes

An examination of the skin in daylight rather than under clinic lighting; a history of how your skin has healed from previous injuries, including any pigment change after a burn, a peel or a previous laser; a history of cold sores, of isotretinoin use and of any current skin disease; and a discussion of how much downtime you can genuinely protect. For scarring, the depth and the mobility of the scar are examined rather than only its appearance.

Asking about the plan

Ask which structure in your skin the proposed route acts on, and why the other route was not proposed. Ask how many sessions the plan contains and what happens if the response is less than expected. Ask what the realistic healing period is for your skin rather than for an average patient, and ask what would make either route the wrong one for you. A clinician who answers that last question specifically is assessing you rather than presenting to you.

Before you commit

No decision needs to be made at the first appointment. Take the plan away, read it against the guides on this site, and come back with questions. If a test area has been suggested, that is a sign the plan is being built around your skin rather than around a package, and the result of it is worth waiting for before the full area is treated.