Taula de Continguts
If you don't know which treatment you need, you don't have to know before booking: what helps is arriving with a clear goal and letting a personalised consultation turn that goal into a plan. Choosing a treatment by its name, because you saw it in a video or because it worked for a friend, often leads you to ask for something that doesn't suit your skin, your moment or what is really bothering you. In this article we explain why this happens, what a video cannot see about your skin and how to prepare your goals so that the consultation at Santé Madrid starts with you and not with a catalogue.
Key points
- You don't need to arrive with a treatment already chosen: it is enough to know what bothers you, since when and what you would like to change.
- On social media, a video with lots of "likes" does not mean its information is correct, according to a study of sun protection content on TikTok.
- The same concern, such as dark spots or dark circles, can have different causes, and each cause is approached differently.
- The Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine asks for a personalised assessment and a medical record before any treatment.
- You can start with a free aesthetic consultation with a Beauty Coach or with a €50 medical consultation, and leave without any treatment if none is indicated.
Why choosing a treatment by its name often goes wrong
Many people arrive at a clinic with one word in their head: the name of a treatment they saw in a video, in a post or in a group chat with friends. The problem is not being interested in a treatment, but turning that name into the starting point, as if it were a diagnosis.
Social media rewards what is engaging, not necessarily what is correct. An analysis published in JMIR Dermatology reviewed the 100 most-liked TikTok videos about sunscreen: 35 contained correct information, 57 were opinion based, 27 included promotional content and none cited sources. In addition, the accuracy of the videos was negatively associated with likes and views. It is a study on one specific topic and in English, but it illustrates well how the algorithm works.
Another study of dermatology content on TikTok found that, of 231 creators of the most popular videos, only 15 presented themselves as dermatologists, and that a large share of the posts were made by patients and other non-medical profiles. Hearing other people's experiences can help you ask questions, but an experience is not an indication: what worked on another skin, at another age and with another medical history may make no sense for yours.
What a video cannot see about your skin
A one-minute video knows nothing about you. It doesn't know your medical history, the medication you take, whether you tend to get dark spots in the sun, whether your skin gets irritated easily or whether you have reacted to a previous treatment. Nor does it know whether you are pregnant, whether you have an autoimmune disease or whether you have an important event in three weeks. All of this changes what is reasonable to do and when.
What you see on a screen is also filtered by lighting, make-up, editing and sometimes by filters that alter the skin. The photo you save as a reference may show a result that does not come from a real treatment or that depends on features that are not yours.
That is why the Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SEME), in its Patient Decalogue, asks patients to require a prior diagnosis: the doctor must carry out a personalised assessment and open a medical record before the treatment. The same decalogue reminds us that a good professional seeks naturalness and harmony and puts health before disproportionate requests, and sums it up in one sentence: "A good aesthetic doctor is the one who tells you no". That assessment is exactly what no video can replace.
Start from your goal, not from the name of the treatment
Changing the question helps a lot. Instead of "I want this treatment", try describing what you see and what you would like to notice. You don't need technical terms: turning that into a plan is the job of the consultation. Before your appointment, it may help to think about these questions:
- What exactly bothers you. "I look tired", "my skin looks dull", "I've developed dark spots", "my face feels less firm". The more specific, the better.
- Since when and whether it changes. If it gets worse in summer, with stress or in winter, that is a useful clue.
- What you have already tried. Products, previous treatments and how your skin reacted.
- How much change you want. Something subtle nobody notices or a more visible improvement.
- How much time and maintenance you can take on. Some options need several sessions or reviews, and others rely mainly on a home routine.
- Whether there is a date coming up. A wedding or a trip may make it wise to wait before starting something new.
If you save reference photos, bring them: they help us understand what you like, not serve as a prescription. With that information, the conversation moves from a brand name to what really matters: your skin, your features and your priorities.
The same concern can have different causes
What we call "dark spots", "dark circles" or "sagging" is not a single thing. Behind the same word there can be different origins, and each one is approached in its own way. That is why asking for a specific treatment for a general concern may not give you the result you expect. The table is for guidance only: it summarises options that exist in the clinic's catalogue, but the actual indication only comes from the medical team's assessment.
| What you usually say | What may be behind it | Options that may be considered |
|---|---|---|
| "I have dark spots" | Sun spots, melasma or other uneven tone | Laser for pigmentation or melasma, peels and daily sun protection |
| "I have dark circles" | Hollowing of the area, dark colour of vascular or pigmented origin | Tear trough hyaluronic acid, polynucleotides, skin boosters or laser |
| "My skin looks dull" | Dehydration, uneven texture or a routine that doesn't suit you | Skin boosters, HydraFacial, laser or adjusting your home care |
| "My face feels less firm" | Loss of firmness, of volume or both | HIFU, Sculptra or Radiesse |
Notice that no row has a single answer: not all dark spots are treated the same way, and not all dark circles have the same origin. Some concerns improve more with a change in routine than with an in-clinic treatment. Treatments are performed by the medical team after an assessment, and results vary from skin to skin.
Your environment matters too: skin and the city
Many routines that go viral come from places with a very different climate. Madrid tends to have a dry continental climate, with sunny summers and cold winters, and heating in homes and offices can dry the air even more in the cold months. In that context, some people notice their skin feels tighter or more sensitive, and a routine designed for a humid climate may not work the same way.
Sun exposure and urban pollution can also affect how the skin looks, for example in the appearance of dark spots. That is why in the consultation we don't only talk about treatments: we also review your habits, your sun protection and your daily routine.
The time of year matters. Some treatments for dark spots are planned with the sun exposure of the following months in mind, and daily sun protection is advisable in any plan, in summer as well as in winter. A video cannot take these variables into account; an assessment can, and that is why two people with the same concern may leave the consultation with different plans.
How we work at Santé Madrid
The clinic is at C. de Amador de los Ríos, 1, Chamberí, 28010 Madrid, close to Almagro, Salamanca and Colón. We are open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 21:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 15:00. You can start in one of two ways, depending on how clear your goal is:
- Aesthetic consultation with a Beauty Coach, free. This is the starting point when you don't know what you need. You talk about your goals, understand what options exist and decide whether it makes sense to move on to a medical assessment.
- Medical consultation, €50. If you already have a specific concern, such as dark spots, firmness or skin quality, the Santé Madrid medical team reviews your history, your medication and the condition of your skin, and decides whether a treatment is indicated.
If a treatment is indicated, we explain what it can offer, its risks and its alternatives, and you sign the informed consent before starting. If any of the treatment options you have seen does not suit you, we will tell you clearly. You can book the aesthetic consultation or the medical consultation, and leave without any treatment if that is what best fits your case.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book an appointment if I don't know which treatment I want?
Yes. The aesthetic consultation with a Beauty Coach is designed to guide you based on your goals, without you having to arrive with a treatment already chosen.
What should I bring to the first consultation?
An idea of what bothers you and since when, the list of medication you take, the products you use and the treatments you have had before. If you have reference photos, you can bring them too.
Can I ask directly for the treatment I saw on social media?
You can tell us what you saw and why it interests you. Medical treatments are always indicated after an assessment by the medical team, who will tell you whether it suits your skin and your goal or whether there is a more suitable option.
How much does the consultation cost?
The aesthetic consultation with a Beauty Coach is free. The medical consultation costs €50 and the nutrition consultation €50. We don't publish treatment prices because they depend on the assessment.
What is the difference between the aesthetic consultation and the medical consultation?
The aesthetic consultation helps you get oriented and understand the options. The medical consultation is a clinical assessment in which the medical team decides whether a treatment is indicated for you.
What if I am told in the consultation that I don't need any treatment?
That is also a good outcome. Sometimes the most useful thing is to adjust your home routine or wait for a more suitable moment, and we will explain it to you clearly.
Do two people with the same concern get the same plan?
Not necessarily. The same concern can have different causes, and the plan depends on your skin, your history and your goals. Results vary from skin to skin.
Not knowing which treatment you need is not a problem: it is a good starting point for an honest consultation. Bring your questions, your photos and your goals, and in Chamberí we will help you sort them out calmly before you decide anything.
