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Guide · updated 2 October 2026

What regulators expect from the aesthetic patient journey

In several places, the rules for injectable aesthetic treatments describe the same sequence: a medical evaluation, an individual plan, documented consent, a treatment record and access to follow-up. This guide sets out what selected sources say, with dates.

This guide summarises public sources for clinic owners. It is not legal or regulatory advice, rules change, and it may be out of date by the time you read it. Check each source and ask your regulator, college or insurer about your own practice.

The short version

  • A European consensus describes the facial-aesthetics patient journey as screening, assessment, treatment, post-treatment and follow-up visits.1
  • In Quebec, the Collège des médecins expects a medical evaluation and an individualised treatment plan before aesthetic injections, and consent documented in the clinical record.2
  • In Ontario, the CPSO has described expectations for medical directors of cosmetic clinics, and the College of Nurses was reviewing how nurse injections are authorised.4, 5
  • In England, a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures has been announced, with no implementation date given in the source we read (September 2025).6

The common thread is a record that shows each step happened, in order, and who was responsible.

Quebec

The Collège des médecins du Québec guide on aesthetic medicine (2020) says each patient must first be the subject of a medical evaluation, so that the physician can establish an individualised treatment plan. In the guide’s words, the patient must “fasse d’abord l’objet d’une évaluation médicale, afin que le médecin établisse un plan de traitement individualisé.” The same guide states that collective prescriptions for aesthetic injections are no longer permitted.2

On consent, the guide asks the physician to record an appropriate note in the patient’s clinical record (“consigner une note appropriée au dossier clinique du patient”) and to place the consent form in the record. Photographs and video need explicit written consent that states their intended use.2

A joint notice from the Collège and the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (30 May 2024) adds that a physician must be accessible and available on site within 15 minutes of an injection procedure, and that nurses may adjust a plan only where it includes an adjustment protocol.3

Ontario

A June 2026 article in the CPSO’s Dialogue sets out expectations for physician medical directors in cosmetic clinics. They include clinically assessing a new patient before delegating, or within two business days, unless an exception applies; having sufficient medical directives; and being physically on site to supervise delegates, unless an exception applies.4

The College of Nurses of Ontario published an aesthetic services guideline in July 2026. A September 2026 commentary by the law firm Fasken reported that the College was considering making patient-specific direct orders the only authorising mechanism for cosmetic injections, with a decision expected in September 2026. We have not confirmed the outcome.5

England

The UK government has announced a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, with three tiers of procedure and separate licences for practitioners and premises. The source, dated September 2025, gives no implementation date; the scheme will be run by local authorities.6

The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners advises patients to expect a consultation of at least 45 minutes and a cooling-off period between the consultation and treatment.7

What this means for the record

Across these sources, a clinic should be able to show, for each patient:

  1. That an evaluation took place, by whom and when.
  2. The individual plan, and who approved it where approval is required.
  3. What the patient consented to, including photo use, and when.
  4. What was done, by whom.
  5. That aftercare was given and the patient could reach the clinic.

ClinicJourney is designed to keep these steps in order on one record. Software cannot make a clinic compliant; what the clinicians do is what counts. The record helps you show it.

Sources

  1. “The Patient Journey in Facial Aesthetics: Findings from a European Consensus Meeting on Improving the Quality of Life for Patients Receiving Botulinum Toxin Injections”, Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology (2024). Link
  2. Collège des médecins du Québec, guide on aesthetic medicine (24 August 2020), pp. 8, 24–25. PDF
  3. CMQ and OIIQ, joint notice on medico-aesthetic care (30 May 2024). PDF
  4. CPSO Dialogue, “Expectations of physician medical directors in cosmetic clinics” (June 2026). Link
  5. Fasken, “More Than Skin Deep: Ontario Considers A Makeover Of Cosmetic Injection Rules”, published on Mondaq (9 September 2026). Link
  6. Browne Jacobson, “Understanding the new regulations for non-surgical cosmetic procedures: Enhancing patient safety” (1 September 2025). Link
  7. JCCP, “Navigating no: a patient’s guide to difficult conversations in aesthetics”. Link

See how ClinicJourney is designed to keep this record.

Walk through a fictional patient’s journey, from booking to the review visit, and see what goes on the record at each step.

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