What to expect at your first injectable appointment

A first injectable appointment should begin with a medical history and an assessment, not with a syringe. Expect to complete an intake form, discuss your medications, allergies and goals, have your face assessed at rest and in movement, consent in writing, and only then be treated. The injections themselves are the shortest part of the appointment.

If any part of that sequence is skipped, you are entitled to ask why, and to leave.

Before you arrive

Arrive without makeup if you can, since it will be cleaned off anyway, and bring an accurate list of your medications and supplements, including anything you bought without a prescription. Avoid alcohol the night before, which reduces bruising risk. If you take fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo or regular anti-inflammatories, mention them rather than stopping them on your own initiative, and never stop a prescribed blood thinner without instruction from the prescriber who started it. If you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, say so at booking rather than on the day.

The history and assessment come first

Your injector will take a medical history covering medications, allergies, previous cosmetic treatment, and any neuromuscular conditions, and will then look at how your face actually moves. That means asking you to frown, raise your brows, squint and smile, because a static photograph does not show where the muscle activity is. Neuromodulators are prescription medicines in Canada, so this assessment is not a formality: it is the basis on which an authorised prescriber decides whether to treat you and with what dose. Expect photographs to be taken with your consent. They matter more than people expect, because at your review appointment they are the only reliable way to settle what has changed.

You should be told the plan and the total price before anything happens

Before treatment, you should know which product is being used, roughly how much, which areas are being treated, what the total cost is, and what the realistic expectation is. If you are paying per unit, you should be told the number of units. Consent should be written, should include the risks, and should be given time rather than signed on a clipboard while someone stands over you. This is also the point to say if you are unsure. Leaving a consultation without treatment is a completely normal outcome and a good clinic will not make you feel awkward about it.

What the injections themselves are like

The area is cleaned, and treatment is given with very fine needles or, for some filler work, a blunt cannula. Neuromodulator injections are quick and most people describe brief stinging rather than pain; ice or a topical numbing cream can be used. Filler is more uncomfortable, particularly in the lips, and is usually done with topical numbing, with many products containing a local anaesthetic themselves. You will feel pressure and sometimes hear a small sound as product is placed. The whole injecting portion is often under fifteen minutes; the appointment is longer because the assessment and consent are the substantial parts.

Immediately afterwards

Expect small raised bumps at the injection points from neuromodulators, which settle quickly, and expect redness. With filler, expect swelling and possibly bruising, and expect the area to look fuller on day one than it will once swelling resolves. Do not judge filler on the day it is placed. You will be given aftercare instructions, which usually include staying upright, not rubbing or massaging the treated area, and avoiding strenuous exercise, saunas, hot yoga and facial treatments for a defined period. Follow the timeframe your injector gives you, since it varies with the product and the area, rather than a number you found on the internet.

Results take days, not minutes

Neuromodulator effects appear gradually over several days rather than immediately, so do not panic on the drive home when nothing has changed. Filler is immediate but obscured by swelling initially. Both are reviewed at a follow-up appointment, which is where small adjustments are made and where the photographs from your first visit earn their keep. Book that review and use it, because we would rather you come in and tell us something is not right than sit at home unhappy for months.

Reasons a good clinic will decline to treat you

Neuromodulators are generally avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding, in certain neuromuscular disorders including myasthenia gravis, where there is active infection or inflammation at the injection site, where there is a known allergy to the product or its components, and in some medication situations. Fillers have their own set of considerations, including a history of certain autoimmune conditions and previous reactions to injected products. Being declined, or being asked to come back after resolving something, is a sign of a clinic taking your safety seriously rather than your money.

Who is legally allowed to inject you in Ontario

Injectables in Ontario are administered by regulated health professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses or registered practical nurses working within the appropriate authorising framework. Estheticians may not inject in Ontario. You are entitled to know the name and professional title of the person treating you, and nursing registration in Ontario is publicly verifiable through the College of Nurses of Ontario register. At Bradford Skin Clinic, Alex Dinovich, FNP-PHC, is our Nurse Practitioner, Medical Director and authorised prescriber, and our injectors are Registered Practical Nurses named on our team page.

What to ask before you leave

Ask what was used and how much, ask when you should expect to see the result, ask when your review appointment is, and ask who to contact if something concerns you afterwards and how to reach them outside opening hours. Write the answers down or ask for them in writing. A clinic that answers all four without hesitation is a clinic you can go back to.

Written at Bradford Skin Clinic & Medical Spa, 444 Holland St W, Unit #2, Bradford, Ontario. Clinically reviewed by Alex Dinovich, FNP-PHC, Nurse Practitioner and Medical Director.