Key facts
- Doctor
- Search the Singapore Medical Council register before the visit
- Clinic
- Outpatient medical clinics are licensed by MOH under the Healthcare Services Act
- Products and devices
- Ask for the name and check it on HSA's Infosearch databases
- Plan and fee
- In writing, after an in-person examination, with time to decide
- No treatment
- Always a legitimate answer, and one worth hearing
How to use this checklist
Print this page or save it to your phone, and take it to any aesthetic consultation in Singapore, wherever you go. The first two checks can be done at home before you book. The rest are questions to ask in the room, and a doctor who is ready to treat you should be able to answer every one of them plainly, in words you can repeat back.
None of these questions is a test or a challenge. They are the same points that Singapore's regulators already expect a clinic to be able to show: who is registered, where the clinic is licensed, what is being used, and what you have agreed to. Asking them simply makes the answers visible before you decide. The one-page version in the table further down is the part to print.
Before the visit: two checks you can do yourself
1. Is the doctor on the Singapore Medical Council register?
Every doctor practising in Singapore must be registered with the Singapore Medical Council (SMC), and the register is public. Search by name on the SMC's search for registered doctors. A doctor without a valid practising certificate will not appear. The SMC's Guidelines on Aesthetic Practices for Doctors also state that conditionally registered doctors may not practise aesthetic medicine, and certain procedures need a certificate of competence, which you can ask about at the visit.
2. Is the clinic licensed by the Ministry of Health?
Clinics providing outpatient medical services are licensed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) under the Healthcare Services Act. The Healthcare Services Act website explains which services need a licence, and MOH points the public to the HealthHub Healthcare Directory to look up licensed healthcare providers. Check that the name and address you were given match the listing.
How these rules fit together is summarised on how aesthetic medicine is regulated in Singapore.
“A consultation has gone well when every question on this list has a plain answer, including the answer that you do not need anything done.”
Dr Sin YongOn what to ask at a consultation
At the consultation: who treats you, and with what
3. Who will perform the treatment, and who will I see at the review?
Ask for the name of the person who will hold the device or the syringe, and whether that is the doctor you are speaking to. Ask who you will see if you come back with a question or a problem. If the answer changes between the consultation and the treatment day, ask why.
4. What is the product or device, by name, and is it registered with HSA?
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) regulates medical devices, including energy-based platforms and dermal fillers, and therapeutic products such as botulinum toxin. Ask for the brand and product name rather than a description such as filler or laser, and check it on HSA's Infosearch databases: the Singapore Medical Device Register for devices and fillers, and the Register of Therapeutic Products for prescription medicines. HSA's medical devices overview explains how devices are classed. It is reasonable to ask to see the box or the device before treatment, and to ask for the product and lot number to be written in your notes.
Questions about limits and risks
5. What can this treatment not do for me?
Every treatment has limits: a layer it does not reach, a concern it does not address, a face or skin it does not suit. A clear answer names them for your face, not for faces in general, and says what would be needed instead.
6. What are the risks for my skin type and my history?
Risk depends on the person as well as the treatment. Ask how your skin type affects it, for example the tendency of darker skin to darken after inflammation, and whether your medicines, pregnancy plans, past treatments, cold sores, keloids or bleeding tendency change the plan. Ask which side effects are common, which are rare but serious, and how each is recognised.
7. What happens if something goes wrong?
Ask who you contact, and how, outside clinic hours; what the clinic keeps on hand for complications of the treatment proposed; and when you should go to an emergency department instead of waiting. A plan for complications is a normal part of medical treatment, and a clinic should be able to describe it without hesitation.
Aftercare, alternatives and the written plan
8. What is the aftercare, and how do I get a review?
Ask for aftercare instructions in writing, what is normal afterwards and what is not, and whether a review is part of the plan. Ask how quickly you can be seen if something looks wrong, and by whom.
9. What are the alternatives, including no treatment?
There is almost always more than one way to approach a concern, and waiting or doing nothing is a legitimate option. Ask what the alternatives are, including ones the clinic does not offer, and why the proposed treatment was chosen over them.
10. Can I have the plan and the fee in writing after the assessment, and time to decide?
A plan should follow an in-person examination, not precede it. Ask for the treatment, the product, the areas, the review and the total fee in writing, and take it away if you wish. The SMC guidelines expect time to consider, proportionate to the procedure. How one practice sets out a written fee is explained on how fees are quoted, as an example of what to look for.
The checklist on one page
Tick each line once you have a clear answer. A blank line is not necessarily a problem; it is a question still to ask.
| # | Question to ask | A clear answer includes | Answered |
|---|
| 1 | Is the doctor on the SMC register? | The doctor's full name, found on the SMC search for registered doctors | ☐ |
| 2 | Is the clinic licensed by MOH? | The licensed name and address, matching the HealthHub listing | ☐ |
| 3 | Who performs the treatment, and who reviews me? | A named person for each, and whether that is the doctor you saw | ☐ |
| 4 | Which product or device, and is it HSA-registered? | A brand and product name you can check on HSA Infosearch; the lot number recorded | ☐ |
| 5 | What can it not do for me? | Specific limits for your face or skin, and what would be needed instead | ☐ |
| 6 | What are the risks for my skin type and history? | Common and rare risks, how each is recognised, what in your history changes them | ☐ |
| 7 | What if something goes wrong? | An after-hours contact and when to go to an emergency department | ☐ |
| 8 | What is the aftercare, and how do I get a review? | Written aftercare, what is normal, how and when you are seen again | ☐ |
| 9 | What are the alternatives, including no treatment? | Other options, including ones not offered there, and why this one | ☐ |
| 10 | Can I have the plan and fee in writing, and time to decide? | A written plan and total fee after examination, with no pressure to decide on the day | ☐ |
Answers that should make you pause
Many consultations answer these questions without difficulty. A few kinds of answer are worth stopping on, wherever you are:
- The product or device cannot be named, or is described by a nickname alone.
- It is unclear who will perform the treatment, or the person changes on the day.
- A fee, discount or package is offered before anyone has examined you, or you are pressed to decide on the spot.
- A result is promised, or the risks are described as none.
- No alternative is mentioned, including the option of not treating.
- There is no clear route back to the clinic if something looks wrong.
None of these settles the matter on its own, but each is a reason to ask again or to take a second opinion. What a full consultation usually covers is described in before you book: questions about the consultation.
