Your first aesthetic consultation: what to expect (and what we’ll never do)
The most common thing new patients tell us isn't about skin. It's some version of: "I put this off for two years because I didn't want to be sold a package."
That fear is rational — parts of our industry earned it. So rather than promise vaguely that we're different, let me walk you through exactly what a first consultation at Avelia involves, minute by minute.
Before you arrive
Book via WhatsApp, phone or the form on this site. Consultations are RM 60 — waived if you proceed with any treatment the same day — and there's no deposit for a consultation-only visit. Come with a bare face if you can; if not, we have cleansing facilities. Bring photos of your skin from months or years ago if your concern has changed over time, and any products or medication you currently use.
The first ten minutes: your story
Not your face — your story. What bothers you, since when, what you've tried, what worked, what didn't, what result would make this worthwhile for you. Medical history matters more than people expect: medications, allergies, pregnancy plans, keloid tendency, previous procedures. A surprising number of "cosmetic" concerns have medical causes hiding underneath.
The analysis: measured, not eyeballed
Depending on your concern: cross-polarised photography that maps sun damage invisible in the mirror, Wood's lamp examination for pigment depth, trichoscopy for hair concerns. This becomes your baseline record — every future visit is compared against it, which keeps both of us honest about whether treatment is actually working.
The plan: written, priced, and take-home
You leave with a written plan showing: the diagnosis, the recommended sequence, the realistic outcome (in percentages and timelines, not adjectives), the honest downtime, and the full cost — itemised, with package pricing shown beside single-session pricing, never instead of it.
Then — and patients are sometimes startled by this — we're perfectly happy for you to take it home and think. The plan is valid for three months. Skin problems are rarely emergencies; decisions made under pressure are rarely good ones.
The four things our doctors are forbidden to do
- No commission. Avelia doctors are salaried. Nobody in the consultation room earns more if you spend more.
- No same-day package pressure. Packages are quoted only after you've had at least one session to judge the treatment for yourself.
- No treating outside candidacy. If you're not a good candidate — wrong skin state, unrealistic expectation, better options elsewhere — the consultation ends with a referral or a "not yet", not a workaround. About one in five HIFU consultations here ends with us recommending against HIFU.
- No invented urgency. There is no "promo ends today" in a medical clinic. Our prices are on the pricing page, in public, for exactly this reason.
What happens next is up to you
Some patients start treatment the same day (the consultation fee is waived when you do). Some go home, compare us with other clinics — we genuinely encourage this; you now have a written plan to compare against — and come back weeks later. Some don't come back at all, and that's a fine outcome too.
If you've been putting off that first visit, I hope knowing the script makes it easier. Book a consultation at any of our eight clinics — and hold us to every line of this article when you're in the room.
Marcus built Avelia’s doctor-training pathway: every physician completes 400 supervised hours before treating independently. He oversees device procurement and safety audits across all eight clinics, and consults at Pulau Tikus on Tuesdays and Fridays.
