Policies

We would always rather hear from you than not. If something has not been right, or you are unhappy with any part of your care or your experience with us, please tell us — it is never a bother, and it is how we improve.

In the first instance, please contact us by email at hello@thearterclinic.co.uk, marking your message for the attention of Caroline Graham, Clinic Director. We will acknowledge your complaint within three business days and aim to provide a full response within 21 business days. If we need longer, we will tell you why and keep you updated.

You are welcome to ask for a copy of our full complaints policy at any time.

The clinic is medically led, by registered nurses and paramedics. We are bound by the professional standards of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council, and the clinic follows the standards set out by the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners. Our cosmetic insurance is with Hamilton Fraser.

If you are a brand new patient, your first appointment with us will be a complimentary, face-to-face consultation. There is no obligation to book anything at the end of it.

If you are wanting to book a prescription-based treatment, such as an anti-wrinkle treatment or a dermal filler dissolve, you must have seen our Nurse Prescriber for a face-to-face consultation first. Prescribing consultations and prescription treatments cannot be carried out on the same day. You must allow at least 24 hours between your consultation and your treatment, so that we can receive your prescription from our pharmacy supply chain.

You can reschedule or cancel your appointment up to 48 hours beforehand. Any request to cancel or reschedule within that time is deemed a late cancellation, and the deposit will be forfeited.

Please note that late cancellations or late reschedule requests for complimentary appointments, such as anti-wrinkle review appointments, will not be rescheduled if missed. In exceptional circumstances, and if availability allows within your anti-wrinkle treatment timeline of two to four weeks from your initial treatment, a missed review appointment may be rescheduled, but this requires a £50 fee to secure.

If you are running late for your appointment, please contact the clinic to let us know. We will do our best to keep your appointment, but if you are more than ten minutes late you will forfeit your appointment and lose your deposit.

If the appointment was an anti-wrinkle review, that review will be forfeited. Missed review appointments require a £50 fee to reschedule.

We cannot treat anyone under the age of 18. We are also unable to accommodate any under-18s inside the premises, including babies in prams, so please do not bring children with you under any circumstances. An aesthetics clinic is an unsafe and highly unsuitable environment for children.

Please also note that young people under the age of 25 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All patients are screened for appearance anxiety and body dysmorphia.

As responsible medical professionals, we reserve the right — and hold the clinical responsibility — to refuse treatment to anyone who is unsuitable, whether on a medical basis, a mental health basis, or where we deem it ethically unacceptable.

We will refuse treatment to any patient who displays any level of verbal abuse or aggression.

We sometimes take clinical photographs before and after treatment. These form part of your clinical record and help us assess your results over time.

If we would like to use any of your images publicly — on our website or on social media — we will ask you separately, and we will take both verbal and written consent at the time of treatment. You are under no obligation whatsoever to say yes, and declining will never affect your care or how you are treated by us in any way.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. Please note that withdrawing consent cannot always recover images that have already been printed, or that have been reposted or shared elsewhere.

A deposit is collected at the time of booking your treatment.

Your deposit is refundable if you decide against going ahead with treatment, provided you tell us more than 48 hours before your appointment.

Your deposit will be forfeited in the case of a late cancellation, a late reschedule request, or a no-show — that is, anything less than 48 hours before your appointment, regardless of the reason.

All treatments are non-refundable once they have been received.

We accept cash and card.

You will be given verbal aftercare advice at the end of your treatment, and written aftercare will be sent to you by email.

Any necessary follow-up appointments will be scheduled at the time of your treatment. If you feel you need a follow-up that has not been arranged, please do not hesitate to ask — we would always rather see you.

In the event of a medical emergency, please follow NHS guidance and call 999.