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 bothers you and what you would refuse, and bring photographs of yourself from a few years ago if you have them, because a course is judged against photographs rather than memory and having your own baseline is useful. If you have had laser or peeling treatment before, say when and what happened afterwards, particularly how the skin coloured as it healed.

What the plan should state in plain words

How deeply each column would be taken, how densely the area would be covered, how many sessions are envisaged and how far apart, whether a test spot will be observed first, what the plan is for cold sores, what has to be avoided between sessions, and what the stopping point is. You should also leave knowing what one session is expected to change, so that the end of the course can be judged against something that was said at the beginning.

Asking about the course

Ask what would be different if you chose a shallower or sparser pattern, and what would be different if you chose a fully ablative plan instead. Ask who operates the device and who decides the settings. Ask what would make you the wrong patient for this treatment, and what the clinic would advise if you wanted to stop halfway through. A clinician who answers that last question specifically is planning a course rather than selling one.

Before you commit

No decision needs to be made at the first appointment, and a course has to fit your calendar rather than the other way round, because each session carries its own healing days and the weeks in between are not free of restrictions. Take the plan away, read it against the guides on this site, and come back with questions. A discount that expires, or pressure to pay for a package before the assessment is complete, is information about the clinic rather than about your skin.