This article is written to be useful at two different moments: read in advance, or read urgently. The urgent part is first.
Clinical safety first
If you are unwell, in severe or worsening pain, have spreading redness or heat, a fever, blistering or skin that is changing colour, or swelling that is increasing rather than settling, seek medical help now. NHS 111 is available at any hour. Use 999 in an emergency.
Contact the treating practitioner as well, because they know what was done and what was used, but do not let an inability to reach them delay you. Some complications, particularly infection, are time critical.
Nobody in the NHS will judge you for having had a cosmetic procedure. This is a thing people worry about and it should not stop anybody seeking care.
Seek urgent medical help, not a clinic appointment, if
- You have spreading redness, heat, increasing pain or a fever, which may indicate infection.
- You have severe or worsening pain that is not settling.
- You have skin that is blistering, breaking down, or changing colour to white, dusky or dark.
- You feel systemically unwell, faint or short of breath.
- You have swelling that is rapidly increasing rather than settling.
- You are worried and cannot get hold of the person who treated you.
NHS 111 is available at any hour and 999 in an emergency. You do not need to have used an NHS service for the treatment to use the NHS when something goes wrong, and nobody will be judging your decision to have had a procedure.
Create a record, today
This is the step most often skipped and most often needed later.
Photograph the affected area, in good light, with the date. Repeat daily while it is changing. Write down what was done, when, by whom, with what product or device, and at what settings if you know them. Write down what you were told before the treatment and afterwards, with dates and as close to verbatim as you can manage.
Keep every message. Screenshot social media posts and advertising you relied on, because those disappear. Keep receipts, the consent form, any written information you were given, and any finance agreement.
If you speak to the clinic by telephone, follow it up by email summarising what was said. That converts a conversation into a record, and it is entirely reasonable to do.
The clinic's own process
Complain to the provider in writing, by email, setting out what happened, what you were told, what you want, and by when you expect a response. Keep it factual and unemotional, which is difficult and worth the effort.
Ask specifically for their written complaints procedure, their indemnity details, and the full registered name and registration number of the person who treated you if they are a registered professional.
Be careful about accepting further treatment as a remedy. It is the most common offer and it is not always the right answer, particularly where the problem arose from the treatment itself. Take advice before agreeing to anything that might be treated as settling the matter.
“Any reaction is a normal part of the process and will settle on its own.”
What would have to be true
- That the specific reaction you are describing has been assessed by somebody clinically competent.
- That reassurance given remotely, without seeing you, is an adequate basis for waiting.
What is actually established
- Expected effects such as swelling, bruising and tenderness are real and common after several treatments in this category.
- So are complications, and some of them are time critical, including infection.
- A blanket reassurance given without assessment is not a clinical judgement.
The problem is not the content of the reassurance, it is that it is being given without assessment. If you are worried and the person who treated you is telling you not to be, without seeing you, that is a reason to seek an independent clinical opinion rather than to wait.
The routes, which run in parallel
These are separate processes with separate purposes and you can use more than one.
The MHRA. Suspected adverse reactions to a medicine, and adverse incidents involving a medical device, are reported through the Yellow Card scheme. Patients report directly. You do not need the clinic's agreement and you do not need to be certain of the cause. This route does not resolve your individual situation, and it is how patterns are detected, which is why it matters.
The practitioner's regulator. If a registered healthcare professional was involved, their regulator considers concerns about fitness to practise. That is the GMC for doctors, the NMC for nurses and midwives, and the corresponding bodies for other professions. If the person was not registered anywhere, this route does not exist, which is one of the practical consequences of the regulatory gap described in how these devices are regulated.
The premises regulator. Where the provider is registered for a regulated activity, the relevant regulator in your nation takes concerns: the CQC in England, and the equivalent bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The ASA. If the advertising that led you to book created a misleading impression, complain. It is free and it is described step by step in the advertising article.
Trading Standards. Misleading pricing, pressure selling and unfair commercial practices go here, reached through Citizens Advice, who also give free advice on your consumer position.
Consumer law. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service must be performed with reasonable care and skill. Where it was not, remedies including repeat performance or a price reduction may be available. Note the distinction that matters: a treatment performed competently that did not produce the result you hoped for is a different situation from a treatment performed badly.
Finance. If you paid on credit, there may be additional routes involving the lender, and the Financial Ombudsman Service deals with complaints about regulated financial firms. Get advice on this rather than assuming either way.
Correction, and who pays
Where a poor outcome needs correcting, the questions are who will do it, who pays, and whether accepting an offer affects any later claim.
Take independent advice before agreeing. Free consumer advice is available from Citizens Advice, and for anything involving significant harm or significant sums, a solicitor is the appropriate step. This publication does not recommend individual firms and does not accept payment from any.
Be aware that correction of some complications is surgical, which changes the cost and the risk picture entirely. That possibility should have been discussed with you before treatment, and where it was not, that omission is itself part of your complaint.
One last thing
People who have had a poor outcome from a cosmetic treatment frequently do not pursue it, because they feel they chose this and therefore have no standing to complain.
That is not how any of these routes work. You are entitled to a service performed with reasonable care and skill, to advertising that is not misleading, and to a practitioner who assessed you properly, regardless of the fact that the procedure was elective. Choosing to have a treatment does not waive any of it.