Your first skin or hair consultation: what to expect
A good first consultation is an examination and a plan — not a sales pitch. Expect questions about your history, medicines and routine, an examination in proper light, a diagnosis named in plain language, and options with realistic timelines and costs before you commit to anything. It takes about twenty to thirty minutes, and what you bring along genuinely helps.
Before you arrive
Two minutes online saves ten in the room: our consultation assistant collects your concern, history basics and preferred timing in advance, so the visit starts at the examination rather than the paperwork.
If your problem comes and goes — a monthly flare, a rash that vanishes by appointment day — photograph it when it is active. A phone photo of the real flare is diagnostic gold.
What we'll ask
How long it has been there, what makes it better or worse, whether it tracks your cycle, what runs in the family, what medicines and supplements you take, and what your current routine actually is — including the home remedies nobody likes admitting to.
None of it is small talk. Cycle-linked acne points hormonal; a new medicine can explain sudden pigmentation; the 'natural' remedy is sometimes the cause. Honest answers shorten the road.
The examination
Skin or scalp examined in proper light, sometimes with a dermatoscope — a magnifier that shows pigment depth and follicle health the eye can't. For hair, the parting and density pattern; for pigmentation, the type and depth; for acne, the lesion mix and scar risk.
It looks simple. It is the diagnostic step everything else depends on, and it is what separates a medical consultation from a sales conversation at a counter.
The plan
You should leave knowing four things: what the diagnosis is, in plain words; the options — including doing less, when that is legitimate; the realistic session count and timeline; and what it costs, stated before you commit, never after.
Where tests are needed first — as with hair loss — the plan says so. A plan built on a work-up beats a package built on a glance.
Questions worth asking
Who performs the procedure? How are settings chosen for my skin type? What happens if I react? What does this treatment not fix? How many sessions before we judge whether it's working — and what is the exit plan if it isn't?
A good clinic answers all five comfortably. Hesitation on any of them is information.
Red flags — anywhere, including here
Package pressure before anyone has examined you. Guaranteed results. 'Permanent' anything. No written consent for procedures. Prices that only appear after you're emotionally committed.
You are entitled to take a plan home and think. Any clinic that makes that feel difficult has told you what you needed to know.
Frequently asked
Is the first consultation free?
Yes — at Kremlin Aesthetics the first consultation is currently complimentary. It includes the examination and a written plan; whether you proceed with treatment is a decision you make after, not during.
Should I stop makeup or products before coming?
Come as you normally are — arriving bare-faced helps but isn't required, and we can cleanse an area to examine it. Do bring the products you use daily; the routine is often part of the story.
Will I be pushed to buy a package on day one?
No. The consultation produces a diagnosis and a plan with costs stated openly; you decide in your own time. We'd rather you compare us confidently than commit under pressure.
Can I discuss more than one concern in a single visit?
Yes — skin and hair are usually examined together anyway, and concerns often connect (acne and its marks, PCOS and facial hair). You'll leave with one prioritised plan rather than separate sales tracks.