Safety and Standards: How to Check an Aesthetic Practitioner Is Safe

The short answer

Injectable treatments are medical procedures, and their safety depends mainly on who is holding the needle. Before booking anywhere, check the practitioner’s professional registration, ask about their aesthetics training, and make sure a consultation and prescription come before any prescription-only medicine. Helena welcomes those questions, and this guide shows you how to check her answers.

Why the practitioner matters, and how to check the NMC register

UK law does not yet require a medical background to inject dermal filler, and enforcement of prescribing rules varies. That leaves you to do some of the checking yourself. Registered nurses, doctors, dentists and pharmacists are held to a professional code, must keep their training current and can be struck off for poor practice. That accountability is the single biggest safety difference between practitioners.

Every registered nurse in the UK appears on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register, which is free to search online at nmc.org.uk. Enter the nurse’s name or PIN and the register confirms whether they are currently registered and whether any restrictions apply to their practice. If a practitioner describes themselves as a nurse but cannot give you a PIN, or does not appear on the register, do not proceed.

The NMC Code sets out the standards every nurse must meet: prioritising people, practising effectively, preserving safety and promoting professionalism. Aesthetic practice is held to the same code as hospital nursing.

Qualifications and accreditations worth asking about

Registration is the floor. Ask what aesthetics training sits on top of it.

• A Level 7 qualification in aesthetic medicine or facial aesthetics. This is postgraduate-level training and the standard the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) recommends for injectables.
• Professional membership. Bodies such as the British Association of Medical Aesthetic Nurses (BAMAN) and the Royal College of Nursing support standards and ongoing education for nurses working in aesthetics.
• Independent accreditation. Schemes such as Safety in Beauty and Save Face assess practitioners against published safety criteria and list them in a public directory. The JCCP also keeps a voluntary register.
• Insurance. Every practitioner should hold medical malpractice insurance and be able to say so.

Products and prescriptions

Ask what products a clinic uses and where they come from. Dermal fillers should be CE or UKCA marked and sourced through a proper pharmacy supply chain. Anti-wrinkle injections are a prescription-only medicine, provided only after a face-to-face consultation and prescription in line with NMC and MHRA requirements. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) oversees the licensing and safety of medicines in the UK.

You may notice that responsible clinics never advertise the drug used for anti-wrinkle injections by name. The Advertising Standards Authority prohibits advertising prescription-only medicines to the public, so clinics describe the treatment rather than the brand. A clinic that uses the drug name in its marketing is breaking that rule, which tells you something about how it approaches the other rules too.

What a safe appointment looks like

• A consultation first. A thorough medical history, a discussion of your goals and an honest view of whether treatment suits you. Read more in the guide to your first consultation.
• Written consent. You should understand the benefits, the risks and the alternatives before you sign, and have time to ask questions.
• A complications plan. Ask what happens if something goes wrong. A safe practitioner can explain how they recognise and manage a problem such as a vascular occlusion after filler, and how to reach them out of hours.
• Aftercare and review. Written aftercare and a follow-up at around two weeks. Our aftercare guide sets out what to expect.
• The freedom to say no. A good practitioner turns people away when treatment is not right for them.

Helena’s registrations and accreditations

Helena Casales-Arregui qualified as a Registered Nurse in 2011 and is registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. She holds a Level 7 Diploma in Facial Aesthetics from the Medical & Aesthetics Training Academy (MATA) on Harley Street, and is a member of the Royal College of Nursing and the British Association of Medical Aesthetic Nurses. Her background includes extensive experience in surgical settings.

Novaderma Aesthetics holds Safety in Beauty accreditation for 2026 and is listed in the Safety in Beauty directory. Helena received The Empowerment Award at the Women in Aesthetics Awards 2026 and was a finalist for Best New Clinic at the Diamonds Awards London 2026. You are welcome to check her registration yourself on the public NMC register.

In short, safe aesthetics starts with a registered, trained and insured practitioner who consults before treating, uses regulated products and has a plan for the rare complication. Check the NMC register, ask about training and accreditation, and be wary of anyone advertising a prescription-only medicine by name. If a clinic is reluctant to answer these questions, that is your answer.