Choosing a botulinum-toxin practitioner in London

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Identify responsibility

Botox is a brand name; ask which product will actually be used. Botulinum toxin is prescription-only. Identify the prescriber, their professional registration and, separately, the person administering injections.

NMC requires face-to-face assessment ↗ before nurse and midwife prescribers prescribe medicines for elective non-surgical cosmetic procedures from 1 June 2025. An unknown person on a video call does not replace that assessment.

Assess the setting

Check procedure-specific training, insurance and complication arrangements. Ask about product sourcing, batch records and patient information. CQC explains its regulatory limits ↗: purely cosmetic injections should not automatically be described as CQC-regulated surgery.

Disclose conditions, medicines, pregnancy, previous injections and swallowing problems. Dose and sites require professional assessment rather than a promotional three-area package.

Compare costs

Request consultation, product, treatment and review costs together. Establish what an area means, whether any correction is included and who decides if it is appropriate. More units do not automatically mean better or safer results.

Discuss desired facial movement and the option of no treatment. Avoid purchasing a course under discount pressure. Obtain a follow-up contact, including evening and weekend arrangements.

Recognise urgent problems

MHRA updated its warning on 15 July 2026 ↗. Rare systemic complications may develop later, up to four weeks after treatment. Breathing, swallowing or speech difficulties require immediate medical help rather than waiting for a routine review or salon reply. Retain the product name and injection date.