Notes From a First Consultation

A first consultation at SkinOGraft is one hour. Some patients arrive nervous, some matter-of-fact, some apologetic. Almost all leave with a clearer head than they arrived with — whether or not they go on to book a procedure.

This is what happens, in the order it happens.

Before you arrive

You will have completed a short intake form online — basic medical history, medications, allergies, and a one-paragraph description of what brings you in. You will have uploaded one or two recent photographs. This is not a screening; it is so we don't spend the first ten minutes of our consultation on paperwork.

The first ten minutes — history-taking

I ask, gently and openly, what has brought you here. I listen. I do not interrupt. Sometimes the stated reason is the real one; sometimes it is a permission-giving cover for something deeper. Either is fine. There is no judgement.

We then go through your medical history properly. Surgical history, medications, family history, lifestyle. Nothing in this conversation is off the record, and nothing in it is private from your care.

The mirror conversation

We then stand together at a mirror. I draw, gently, with a pencil-style washable marker, on the planes of your face or body that we have been discussing. Not a plan — a vocabulary. We are agreeing on what we are looking at.

This is, for most patients, the moment the consultation becomes useful. Words like "balance", "projection", "contour" suddenly have a referent. You can see what I'm seeing.

"The mirror is the most important diagnostic tool in my room. Not because I see something different in it — but because, with the patient, we begin to see the same thing."

Digital simulation

For relevant procedures — blepharoplasty, lip augmentation, body contouring — we use a digital simulation system. I take a high-resolution photograph and morph it, in your presence, to show you a realistic estimated result.

I am clear about what this is and isn't. It is a guide. It is not a guarantee. We agree, together, on a target — and on the boundaries beyond which we will not go.

The written quotation

Before you leave, you receive a written quotation. It includes:

• The procedure as agreed.
• The surgical fee.
• The anaesthesia fee.
• The theatre and hospital charges.
• The implant or material costs, if any.
• The expected follow-up schedule and what is and isn't included.

There are no upselling tactics in the room. The quotation is what it is. There are no "deals", no "today-only" pricing, no pressure to commit.

The 24-hour reflection rule

We do not accept a booking on the day of the first consultation. This is a deliberate rule. You take the quotation home. You sleep on it. You discuss it with someone you trust. If, 24 hours later, you would like to proceed, you let us know and we open the calendar.

Many patients are surprised by this. Some are mildly insulted. But the procedures I perform are not impulse purchases — and the patients who do best are the ones who decided calmly.

What we don't do

We do not sell. We do not discount. We do not bundle. We do not pressure you, ever. If, after the consultation, you decide a procedure is not right for you — or not right for you yet — that is a successful consultation. The relationship continues. We are not in a transaction.

If you'd like to book, you can call, WhatsApp, or use the form on the contact page. We respond within the hour during clinic times.