Claire Lavery Aesthetics

Claire Lavery Aesthetics Aesthetic Nurse Prescriber & Obagi Skincare Ambassador. Natural results specialist, Leeds

Can we talk about one of the things that makes me wince in aesthetics?“If there’s any left over, can I have the rest som...
19/06/2026

Can we talk about one of the things that makes me wince in aesthetics?

“If there’s any left over, can I have the rest somewhere else?”

No.

Because treatment isn’t a meal deal.

And filler isn’t something I need to use up before it expires.

The question itself assumes that you’ve paid for a syringe and therefore every last drop should end up in your face.

You haven’t.

You’ve paid for an assessment.

A treatment plan.

Clinical judgement.

And a practitioner who knows when enough is enough.

If lips look beautiful at 0.8ml, I am not going to inject another 0.2ml simply because it’s sitting in a syringe.

If cheeks are balanced, I am not putting “the rest” in your chin because it feels like you’re owed something.

And whilst we’re here, filler isn’t one-size-fits-all.

The filler I choose for lips is often completely different to the filler I would choose for a chin, jawline or cheeks.

In fact, it’s not unusual for me to use different products, different densities and different techniques within the same treatment plan.

So the idea that any filler left in a syringe can simply be “put somewhere else” misunderstands how facial assessment and product selection actually work.

The right product.

The right place.

The right amount.

That’s the treatment.

Thinking just about syringes?……that’s how people end up overfilled.

And if I’m honest, what I dislike most about this mindset is the implication behind it.

That a treatment should somehow be judged by how empty the syringe is at the end.

It shouldn’t.

It should be judged by the result.

The best practitioners I know are not the ones who use the most product.

They’re the ones who know when to stop.

Patients are not paying me to empty a syringe.

They are paying me to make the right decision.

This patient came to me concerned about her nose to mouth lines, the nasolabial folds. Now, I could have placed filler d...
18/06/2026

This patient came to me concerned about her nose to mouth lines, the nasolabial folds.

Now, I could have placed filler directly into the deep lines.

Sometimes that’s absolutely appropriate.

But one of the things experience teaches you is that the area a patient notices isn’t always the area that needs treating.

Good aesthetic treatment plans shouldn’t focus on chasing every line, fold or shadow.

The should focus on understanding the face as a whole and making decisions that create balance and support.

In this case, restoring support through the mid-face softened the fold naturally and created a fresher, more rested appearance overall.

No overfilling.

No trying to erase every sign of ageing.

Just a treatment plan designed around the individual sitting in front of me.

A lot of what makes a good practitioner isn’t visible during the appointment itself.It’s what happens afterwards.The pra...
17/06/2026

A lot of what makes a good practitioner isn’t visible during the appointment itself.

It’s what happens afterwards.

The practitioner who replays a consultation on the drive home.

The one who wonders if they explained something clearly enough.

The one who reflects on a decision later that evening.

The one who follows up because they’re thinking about the patient, not because they’re ticking a box.

Good practitioners don’t stop caring when the appointment ends.

In many ways, that’s when the responsibility begins.

And whilst patients should absolutely expect skill, training and experience, I think there’s something else that’s important too:

Conscience.

The kind that makes someone keep asking themselves:

“Did I do the right thing?”

Because the practitioners who care enough to ask that question are often the same practitioners who care deeply about getting it right. 💜

8 weeks.That’s all.Results like this don’t happen because somebody bought a serum.They happen because a patient committe...
16/06/2026

8 weeks.

That’s all.

Results like this don’t happen because somebody bought a serum.

They happen because a patient committed to a programme and was consistent.

Not using it for a week.
Not using it when you remember.
Not using it until the redness starts and then decide it’s not for you.

Consistency.

The reason I trust Obagi so much is because it doesn’t simply make the skin look brighter.

It creates healthier, stronger skin.

Its formulations are designed to work at a cellular level, helping to normalise skin function, improve cell turnover and address concerns such as pigmentation at the source and acne at the source.

This patient is 8 weeks into their Obagi programme and the difference speaks for itself.

This result is what happens when great products meet consistency.

8 weeks.

That’s all. 💜

I don’t know when nursing became one of the few professions where people feel the need to say “just”.Just a nurse.And if...
15/06/2026

I don’t know when nursing became one of the few professions where people feel the need to say “just”.

Just a nurse.

And if I’m honest, I’ve said it about myself at times too.

But here’s the thing.

Nurses assess.

Nurses diagnose.

Nurses prescribe.

Nurses lead teams.

Nurses teach.

Nurses research.

Nurses run businesses.

Nurses advocate for patients.

Nurses make complex clinical decisions every single day.

Yet somehow, many of us still feel the need to put the word “just” in front of it.

Being a nurse isn’t the minimum version of someone.

It isn’t the thing you say before the “real” achievement.

It’s a profession in its own right.

One built on knowledge, judgement, responsibility and expertise.

I’m proud to be a nurse.

Not because it’s all I am.

But because it helped shape everything I am.

I’m still a nurse.

And never “just” anything.

Just when I thought Obagi couldn’t get any better…Along came NU-GEN™.I’ve been using this for a couple of months now and...
14/06/2026

Just when I thought Obagi couldn’t get any better…

Along came NU-GEN™.

I’ve been using this for a couple of months now and honestly, my skin feels incredible.

Smoother. Brighter. More resilient. Just healthier overall.

What I love about NU-GEN is that it takes a slightly different approach to skin ageing. Rather than simply targeting the signs of ageing that we can see, it’s designed to support the skin at a cellular level using NAD+ longevity science.

NAD+ is a coenzyme found in every skin cell and plays an important role in repair, renewal and resilience. The challenge is that our levels naturally decline as we age.

NU-GEN helps support those renewal pathways, improving skin quality, radiance and overall skin health over time.

It’s become a staple in my own routine and one of the Obagi products I’ve been most excited about in a long time.

💙 Purchase a full-size NU-GEN and receive a complimentary Obagi Hydrate moisturiser while stocks last.

If you’d like to know whether NU-GEN would fit into your current skincare routine, just send me a message.

Patients often ask me whether a treatment is safe.Is filler safe?Is toxin safe?Is microneedling safe?And I understand wh...
12/06/2026

Patients often ask me whether a treatment is safe.

Is filler safe?

Is toxin safe?

Is microneedling safe?

And I understand why. It seems like the obvious question to ask.

But I’ve realised that treatments themselves are rarely the whole story.

The same treatment can produce completely different outcomes depending on who is assessing, planning and performing it.

Because treatments don’t make decisions.

Practitioners do.

Even when a treatment is assessed correctly, planned correctly and performed correctly, complications can still occur.

That doesn’t mean standards don’t matter.

It means aesthetic medicine is rarely as simple as “safe” or “unsafe”.

The safest treatment in the world can become unsafe in the wrong hands.

And equally, treatments that are often criticised or misunderstood can achieve excellent results when used appropriately.

I think patients spend a lot of time researching treatments.

But often far less time researching the person delivering them.

Their training.

Their experience.

Their judgement.

Their approach to patient safety.

Yes, the treatment matters.

But the person delivering it matters more.

A few days before going on holiday, I found myself replaying a patient treatment.The treatment had gone well.The patient...
07/06/2026

A few days before going on holiday, I found myself replaying a patient treatment.

The treatment had gone well.

The patient hadn’t contacted me.

There were no signs that anything was wrong.

Yet I kept replaying it.

Looking for something I might have missed.

And eventually I realised something.

I wasn’t worrying about the patient, they hadn’t given me a reason to worry.

I was worrying about leaving.

I think when you’re someone who takes responsibility seriously, holidays can feel strangely uncomfortable.

Because there is never a point where the risk reaches zero.

There is always a patient healing.

A treatment evolving.

An email waiting.

A result still developing.

Something uncertain.

There is always something that could happen.

And I realised I was waiting for permission to relax.

Almost as though somebody would eventually say:

“Well done Claire.

There are now zero risks in the clinic.

Off you go and enjoy your holiday.”

The problem is that day never comes.

The reality is that none of us need to reach a point where nothing can go wrong.

We only need to reach a point where we’ve done our job properly.

Careful assessment.

Honest advice.

Thoughtful treatment.

Appropriate support.

That’s the job.

The rest is uncertainty. 💜

I’d be more worried by a practitioner who says they’ve never had a complication.That might sound strange coming from som...
06/06/2026

I’d be more worried by a practitioner who says they’ve never had a complication.

That might sound strange coming from someone who injects patients every day, but hear me out.

Complications exist in medicine.

They exist in surgery.

And they exist in aesthetics.

A complication doesn’t automatically mean somebody is careless, reckless or poorly trained.

In fact, one of the biggest myths in aesthetics is that complications only happen in bad clinics.

The reality is that good practitioners spend a lot of time preparing for things they hope never happen.

We train for them.
We prepare for them.
We carry emergency medications for them.
We discuss them during consent.

Not because we expect complications.

But because we respect them.

Personally, I’d be far more concerned by a practitioner who believes complications could never happen to them.

Because confidence is important.

But humility is important too.

The safest practitioners aren’t the ones who think they’re immune from complications.

They’re the ones who prepare for them anyway.

My patients tell me they feel “listened to” “cared for”. A “fully booked” clinic day for me might only mean 4–5 patients...
31/05/2026

My patients tell me they feel “listened to” “cared for”.

A “fully booked” clinic day for me might only mean 4–5 patients.

And honestly, early on in aesthetics that used to make me question myself.

There can be a lot of pressure in this industry to:
do more,
see more patients,
fit more in,
keep scaling.

And social media can sometimes make success look very loud, very fast paced and very volume driven.

But that was never the kind of clinic I wanted to build.

I wanted time built into my day.

Time to consult properly.
Time to assess properly.
Time for patients to ask questions.
Time to create the right treatment plans.
Time to think.

Some practitioners genuinely thrive in high volume clinics.

But personally, I wanted my clinic to feel calmer, more considered and more relationship based.

Not because I lack ambition.

And not because the business is unsuccessful.

But because this model genuinely suits both me and my patients better.

I think there’s sometimes a misconception that seeing more patients automatically means greater success.

But success in aesthetics can look very different depending on the practitioner, the clinic and the experience they want to create.

And honestly, building the clinic I actually wanted to run was one of the best business decisions I ever made. 💜

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