The consultation process:
Booking a medical consultation should not feel like walking into an unknown. This page explains exactly what happens at a cosmetic consultation at this practice, from booking to the point at which you either proceed with a treatment or decide not to.
No pressure to book on the day. No “special offer if you decide today”. No cost surprise. The consultation is a discussion, an examination, and an information exchange.
MBBS · Registered Medical Practitioner · Ahpra MED0002627622
Consultations run 30 to 45 minutes and cover four steps: discussion of what you want to address, clinical assessment, information about your options including the option of not proceeding, and the decision, which does not have to be made on the day. A consultation fee applies and is confirmed when you book. Photographs are taken as clinical record only. For patients under 18, a mandatory seven-day cooling off period between consultation and procedure applies. You retain the right to decline any recommendation.
Before you book:
what a consultation is for
A cosmetic consultation is a medical assessment. Not a sales appointment. Not a booking meeting for a treatment already decided.
The outcome of a medical consultation is information, not a purchase. You may book for any of the following reasons and all are legitimate:
- You have a specific concern and want to understand your options
- You have been recommended a procedure and want independent assessment
- You have had cosmetic work elsewhere and want an opinion on next steps
- You are early in the research process and want a professional discussion
- You want to know whether a concern you have is cosmetic or medical
- You are considering nothing specific and want a general assessment
You do not need to know what you want. You do not need to have decided anything. Turning up with questions is enough.
What to bring,
and how to prepare
Practical preparation is minimal. Whatever helps you feel comfortable — this is a medical appointment; formal dress is not required.
Bring
- Current medications & supplements list
- Current skincare products (with actives)
- Note of previous cosmetic procedures
- Medical conditions summary
- Photographic ID for clinical record
- Parent/guardian if under 18
- Questions you want answered
Do NOT prepare
- Do not fast unless instructed
- Do not stop medication unless told
- Do not remove makeup before arrival
- No cash needed (card payment)
Wear
- Comfortable clothing
- Access to area you want assessed
- Minimal jewellery around face/neck
- Whatever helps you feel comfortable
The four-step consultation
process
Each step is systematic, matched to what you are attending for, and paced so there is time. You are not being rushed.
Discussion and history
In your own words, what you have noticed, when it started, what has prompted you now, what you have already tried, your realistic goals, medical history, and any specific concerns or fears about proceeding. Tone is a medical consultation, not a sales conversation.
Clinical assessment
Visual examination in standardised lighting. Palpation where relevant. Functional assessment where relevant. Photographic record for your file (clinical record only). Screening for any medical finding that might warrant referral rather than cosmetic assessment.
Information about your options
Dr Hawli’s clinical assessment in plain language. Your options (usually more than one, almost always including doing nothing). What each option involves, the realistic outcome, risks, specific parameters if a procedure proceeds, alternatives, and the option of not proceeding.
The decision
You are NOT asked to decide on the day. No special pricing incentive to book today. Under-18 patients have mandatory 7-day cooling off. If you proceed, written consent is completed in advance. If you decide not to, that is the end of it. No follow-up sales calls.
What if the recommendation
is not to proceed
Sometimes the honest recommendation after assessment is that a proposed procedure would not be appropriate. This can be for several reasons.
- The finding is medical rather than cosmetic and requires a different practitioner
- The realistic outcome would not meet what you are hoping for
- A specific contraindication makes the procedure inappropriate
- A different approach (skincare, prevention, referral) would produce better results
- The concern is within normal variation and does not require intervention
- Timing is not appropriate (pregnancy, active skin condition, recent medication)
Where the recommendation is not to proceed, that is what you hear. There is no attempt to sell you something else instead. The consultation fee applies whether or not a procedure follows — it pays for medical assessment, not a procedure.
Fees, duration and
what happens next
Duration
Typically 30 to 45 minutes. Longer if your concern requires more discussion. Shorter is uncommon but possible for straightforward assessments.
Fee
A consultation fee applies and is confirmed when you book. Payable at the time of consultation. Reflects the medical assessment provided — payable whether or not a procedure follows.
Referral
No GP referral required to attend. If Medicare rebate applies to any part of your care (medical finding warranting medical assessment), this is discussed at consultation.
Follow-up
If you proceed with a procedure, follow-up appointments are scheduled as part of the plan. If not, no follow-up is required or arranged unless you request it.
Records
Retained per Australian health record requirements (7 years from last consultation for adults, until 25th birthday for minors). You have right to access on written request.
Confidentiality
Standard medical confidentiality applies. Information not shared without your specific consent, except where required by law or clinically necessary.
The consultation is a conversation,
not a sales pitch
A cosmetic clinic that treats consultations as sales opportunities is a clinic to be cautious of. Signs to watch for at any practice:
- Pressure to decide on the day
- "Special pricing" contingent on booking now
- Difficulty getting a straight answer about risks
- Recommendations for procedures you did not ask about
- Reluctance to discuss the option of not proceeding
- Difficulty getting a written record of the consent or discussion
- Immediate booking of procedure at end of consultation without reflection time
- Difficulty accessing your records
None of these characterises the consultation process at this practice. Each is a legitimate reason to look elsewhere at any practice where you encounter them.
Questions patients
ask before booking
If your question is not answered here, ask it at your consultation. There is time set aside for exactly that.
Typically 30 to 45 minutes. Longer if your concern requires more discussion. Includes four steps: discussion and history, clinical assessment, information about your options, and the decision (which does not have to be made on the day).
No. There is no pressure to decide on the day at this practice. For patients under 18, a mandatory seven-day cooling off period between consultation and procedure applies under the September 2025 AHPRA guidelines. For adult patients, you retain the right to time to consider information.
A consultation fee applies and is confirmed when you book. Payment is due at the time of consultation. The fee reflects the medical assessment provided and is payable whether or not a procedure follows.
No. Cosmetic consultations do not require GP referral. If a Medicare rebate applies to any part of your care, this is discussed at consultation.
A list of your current medications and supplements, your current skincare products, a note of any previous cosmetic procedures, a summary of any medical conditions, and photographic identification. If under 18, a parent or guardian.
That is what you hear. There is no attempt to sell an alternative procedure instead. You may be given advice about what to consider, when to return, or referral to a different practitioner. The consultation fee applies regardless.
No. Photographs are taken for clinical records only. They are not published, shared, used in advertising, or shown to other patients without your explicit separate written consent to that specific use.
Yes. You are welcome to bring a support person to your consultation. For patients under 18, a parent or guardian must attend.
All consultations at this practice are conducted personally by Dr Ibrahim Hawli, MBBS, a registered medical practitioner (Ahpra MED0002627622). Care is not delegated to unregistered staff.
Booking your consultation
in Glenroy, Melbourne
Level 1, 10 Glenroy Road, Glenroy VIC 3046. Close to Glenroy Station on the Craigieburn line and the Pascoe Vale Road corridor.
Consulting hours: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10:00 to 17:00.
Registered medical practitioner, Ahpra registration MED0002627622. Level 1 Certification, American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine.
Last reviewed: [insert month year] · Next review due: [insert month year]
A conversation.
This page describes the consultation process at Tajmeel Cliniq. All consultations are conducted personally by Dr Ibrahim Hawli, MBBS (Ahpra MED0002627622). A consultation fee applies. Individual outcomes and recommendations vary. Surgery is not performed at this practice. Any decision to proceed with a procedure follows an individual consultation and assessment.