How we chose
We started from sixty local clinics and practices, matched each at Companies House and read its own website for treatments, prices and contact routes. Qualifications were sourced from the professional registers, each firm's own website and the platforms checked [1] [2]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Twelve firms were researched in full and ten met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Match the practitioner to the job first. Wrinkle-relaxing injections use a prescription-only medicine, so a doctor, dentist or prescribing nurse or pharmacist must assess you and prescribe for you as an individual — treatment without that medical assessment is a warning sign in itself [6]. Dermal fillers, laser, peels and skin boosters each need different training, while facials, nails and waxing sit with beauty therapists. When you first enquire, name the treatment and ask who exactly would carry it out.
Check the person before you book. Doctors appear on the GMC register and nurses on the NMC register, both searchable free by name or registration number, so ask for the number and confirm it yourself rather than taking a framed certificate at face value [1] [2]. Two voluntary registers add another layer: the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners lists practitioners who meet its entry requirements and code of practice, and Save Face lists clinics and clinicians that pass its assessment, both searchable by treatment and town [3] [4]. Membership of either is reassuring but optional, so its absence is a question, not a verdict.
Know what Telford & Wrekin Council licenses. Treatments such as microblading count as semi-permanent skin colouring and need council registration, with the certificate on display on the premises — if you cannot see one, ask, or contact the council to check its register [7]. Wrinkle-relaxing injections and fillers sit outside that scheme, while laser and intense pulsed light hair removal need registration with the Care Quality Commission [7]. And since late 2021 the law in England bans toxin and filler injections for cosmetic purposes for anyone under eighteen, with no parental-consent workaround [5].
Expect a proper consultation, face to face, before any injectable. The prescriber should take your medical history, talk through risks and aftercare, and give you time to decide — the medicines regulator names treatment without a medical consultation, in an informal setting, or at a price far below usual rates as warning signs [6]. For laser, expect a patch test and questions about recent sun, fake tan and medication. Walk away from same-day pressure or anyone who brushes off your questions.
Get the quote itemised in writing before you agree anything: which areas, which product and how much of it, how many sessions a course holds, whether a review appointment is included, and whether VAT sits inside the figure or on top. Two or three quotes on the same treatment let you compare like with like, and a from-price is a floor, not a promise — ask what your face or area would actually cost. A deposit for a course is normal; full payment in cash before a consultation is not.
On the day, check the clinic takes written consent, records what was used including the product and batch, and hands you aftercare plus a direct route back if something looks wrong. Keep the treatment record, receipts and any messages together. If swelling, bruising or vision changes worry you after fillers, or swallowing, speech or breathing changes follow toxin treatment, seek medical help promptly through NHS 111 or emergency services [6].
Pricing
As of summer 2026, national guides put wrinkle-relaxing injections at about £150 to £350 for one area and £250 to £500 for three areas, and dermal filler at about £250 to £600 per millilitre, with lip filler commonly £200 to £450 [8]. One 2026 analysis of nearly a thousand clinics put the median single-area injection price at £170 [9]. These are market ranges, not quotes, and Telford figures usually land lower down them since the guides place London and the big cities at the upper end [8].
Skin and light treatments run lower. Guides put skin boosters at £200 to £450 a session, microneedling at £120 to £300, small-area laser hair removal at £30 to £100 and full legs at £180 to £350, with hydrafacials around £90 to £200 [8] [9]. Most need a course — toxin lasts around three to four months, filler six to eighteen — so price the year, not the appointment [8].
Three things move the figure: the size of the area, the seniority of the practitioner, and whether you pay per session or for a planned course [9]. Product choice moves filler prices, and appointment length hides inside every quote — a longer consultation with a review visit costs more than twelve minutes in a rented room [8]. Treat a price far below the local range as a question about what has been cut, not as a bargain [6] [8].
Ask whether VAT is included, since published ranges generally exclude it, and get the scope in writing before work starts: exactly which areas, which product and volume, how many sessions, what a review costs, and what changes the price if you need more. Keep every quote, invoice and treatment record together, and never pay a balance before the paperwork you were promised is in your hands.
Red flags
Offers wrinkle-relaxing injections with no face-to-face consultation with a prescriber [6].
Agrees to inject toxin or filler for cosmetic purposes in anyone under eighteen [5].
Will not name the product or show its packaging and batch number when asked [6].
Quotes injectables far below the usual range with no explanation of what is included [6] [8].
Starts treatment with no written plan covering areas, product, sessions and total price.
Sends you home with no aftercare and no direct route back if something looks wrong.
Shows no council registration certificate for licensable treatments such as microblading, and cannot say where it is registered [7].
The bottom line
For most people, start with Dermacore: doctor-led care, printed prices and free consultations make it the easiest choice to check before you spend anything. If you would rather have injectables from a nurse prescriber, Coalport Skin Clinic and TK Aesthetics are the natural alternatives, with Coalport showing its from-prices up front.
Match the clinic to the job otherwise: Moon Skin for laser and head-spa days, Saintly Skincare for acne care with a starting price, Pretty Green for a priced lip menu, EL Beauty for supportive care around illness, and Tranquillity or Natalie Pettitt for salon pampering. Shortlist two, compare itemised quotes on the same treatment, and check the registration numbers before you book.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.