Twelve questions to ask
A printable twelve question checklist for an exosome therapy consultation, with the answer you want to hear and the answer that should end the conversation.
Published by Northbank Media. Last reviewed 2026-07-31. Information only. This site is not a clinic and gives no medical advice.
Print this page, or write the twelve questions down, and record the answers during the consultation. Four of them are about the product and its regulatory status, which is where a consultation is most likely to be thin.
The quality of the answers tells you more about a clinic than any photograph. A practitioner who has engaged with the regulatory position will answer clearly. Evasion is itself an answer.
This page is designed to be printed or taken on a phone. Write the answers down during the consultation rather than afterwards. Twelve questions, four of them about the product, and the pattern of the answers will tell you what you need to know.
| No | Question, and why it matters | Their answer |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | What exactly is the preparation you are using, and what is it derived from Source matters biologically and legally. Human, animal and plant derived preparations are not equivalent. | |
| 02 | Who supplies it, and what documentation do you hold for it A clinic that can name its supplier and describe its documentation has engaged with the supply chain. | |
| 03 | What is it classified as for regulatory purposes in the UK Cosmetic, research use item, medical device accessory or something else. The answer determines what assessment it went through. | |
| 04 | Is it licensed by the MHRA as a medicine for this use, and if not, what does that mean The answer should be no, followed by a clear explanation of what that implies. Anything else is wrong. | |
| 05 | What evidence supports this specific preparation for my concern Not exosomes in general. This product. Ask whether the studies had a control group and who funded them. | |
| 06 | How much of the expected result is the microneedling A candid practitioner will say the two cannot be fully separated. That answer is the correct one. | |
| 07 | What is your price for microneedling alone The difference between the two prices is what the preparation is costing you. Ask for both figures. | |
| 08 | What is the realistic outcome, and when would we assess it Months, not weeks, with standardised photographs at fixed intervals. Anything faster is not an assessment. | |
| 09 | What are the risks, including for my skin type Pigmentation risk in richly pigmented skin should be raised without prompting, along with infection and prolonged redness. | |
| 10 | What is the total cost including any maintenance you would recommend The annual commitment matters more than the price of the first course. Ask for it as a yearly figure. | |
| 11 | What happens if I stop after the first session of a package Read the refund terms before paying a deposit, not afterwards. | |
| 12 | Who do I contact if something goes wrong, at a weekend or at night A named route and a real answer. A clinic without one has not planned for the thing you are asking about. |
What a good answer sounds like
| Topic | A good answer sounds like | A poor answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory status | It is not licensed as a medicine for this use in the UK, here is what that means and here is why I use it anyway | It is fully approved, or it is medical grade, or the regulator has cleared it |
| Evidence | The published work is early, mostly laboratory and small studies, and this is what it does and does not show | It is clinically proven, or backed by science, or there are hundreds of studies |
| Attribution | Part of the result comes from the needling and the two cannot be fully separated | The needling is only a delivery method and does nothing on its own |
| Outcome | A modest change over three to six months, assessed with standardised photographs | A specific percentage improvement, or a promise of a defined result |
| Risk in richly pigmented skin | Raised without prompting, with a plan for depth, pre treatment and sun protection | It is safe for all skin types with no further discussion |
| Alternatives | Here are the licensed options, here is microneedling alone, and here is doing nothing | Alternatives are not mentioned, or are dismissed as old fashioned |
| Price | Here is the session price, here is microneedling alone, and here is the annual maintenance cost | A package price only, with a discount if you book today |
| If something goes wrong | A named contact, an out of hours route and a clear complaints process | Vague reassurance that nothing ever goes wrong |
Things worth noticing that are not questions
- Whether you were assessed before the treatment was recommended, or recommended a treatment before you were assessed.
- Whether doing nothing was presented as a legitimate option. It always is, and a consultation that never mentions it is a sales appointment.
- Whether the licensed alternatives were raised, particularly for hair loss where they exist and have decades of data behind them.
- Whether the regulatory position came up before you raised it.
- Whether a discount was attached to deciding today. There is no clinical reason for urgency in an elective treatment.
- Whether photographs were taken under standardised conditions or on a phone in a bright room.
What is this product, what is it classed as for regulatory purposes, and on what basis is it being used in this way. A practitioner who has thought about exosome therapy will answer that in a couple of sentences. One who has not will change the subject to results. The change of subject is the answer.
After the consultation
Go home before deciding. Read the answers you wrote down against the regulation page and the evidence page. Check the practitioner's registration with the GMC or the NMC, and look for them on the JCCP or Save Face registers. Work out the total cost including the maintenance being proposed rather than the cost of the initial course.
Then decide. If the answers were clear and the price is worth it to you for a benefit whose size is not established, that is a decision made properly. If the answers were vague, the treatment will still be available next month.
Common questions
Is it rude to ask these questions
No. A practitioner performing a procedure outside the licensed medicine route should expect to be asked what the product is and what it is classed as, and a good one will be pleased to be asked. Discomfort at the question is information.
What if they cannot answer the product questions
Then they are using a product they cannot account for. That is a reasonable point at which to stop, or at least to go away and think rather than paying a deposit that day. There is no urgency in an elective aesthetic treatment.
Should I get the answers in writing
Ask for the product name and supplier in writing, along with the total cost including any maintenance proposed. Both are ordinary requests and a well run clinic will provide them. If something goes wrong later, knowing exactly what was used is the first thing anyone will ask you.
How long should a consultation take
Long enough to cover diagnosis, alternatives including doing nothing, the regulatory position, the risks, the realistic outcome and the total cost. If it is fifteen minutes and ends with a package price and a deposit request, it was a sales appointment.
Should I be treated on the same day as the consultation
There is no clinical reason to be. Same day treatment removes your opportunity to check the practitioner's registration, to reconsider, and to compare. A clinic that offers a discount for deciding today is applying pressure to a decision that has no deadline.
This page contains no commercial links of any kind. No clinic, practitioner, product or supplier is named, recommended or linked to, and nobody has paid for, influenced or previewed anything on it. External links go only to UK regulators and professional bodies and carry a nofollow attribute. Published by Northbank Media under our editorial policy.
If you want to speak to someone
We are not a clinic and we give no medical advice. If you would like to, we can pass your details to a registered UK practitioner who will contact you directly. Nothing is booked on your behalf and there is no obligation. Read the regulation page first.
Make an enquiry