Is Your Consulting Doctor the One Who Treats You?

# How Do You Confirm the Doctor Who Consulted You Is the One Treating You?

Treatment rooms for lasers and injectables are not required to have the operating-room CCTV that surgical suites now carry, so whether the doctor who consulted you is the one who actually treats you is something a patient has to verify directly. There are three practical checks: the name written on your consent form, that doctor's public track record, and the physical layout of the room where treatment happens.

I'm Dr. Kim Yeonjin, director at UH CELL Clinic's Gangnam branch. When patients visit from abroad, the first question in consultation is almost always whether the person explaining the treatment today is the person who will perform it. I don't think that's an unreasonable question. It's reasonable because the system does not answer it for you.

Where the System Doesn't Reach

Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare required hospitals to install and operate CCTV in operating rooms starting September 25, 2023, for procedures performed while a patient is unconscious. The requirement followed an amendment to the Medical Service Act promulgated in September 2021. According to Doctors News' coverage of the law when it passed, smaller procedure rooms using local or partial anesthesia, rather than general anesthesia, were excluded from the installation requirement.

Most laser and injectable treatments done in a dermatology clinic fall into that excluded category. Article 27 of the Medical Service Act prohibits medical practice by anyone who isn't a licensed medical professional, but in a room with no video record, it's difficult to reconstruct after the fact who actually performed a treatment. That's why the check has to happen before treatment, and it has to happen on paper.

Three Things a Patient Can Check Directly

• The name on your consent form. Confirm that the name of the doctor who consulted with you matches the name written as the treating practitioner on your consent form. If they differ, you should be able to ask why and get a direct answer.
• The doctor's public track record. Look for whether that doctor's technique is documented anywhere outside the clinic: lectures at professional societies, device-manufacturer certification training, or recorded procedure footage. The more of a doctor's work exists in public record, the harder it becomes for a substitution to go unnoticed.
• The layout of the treatment room. Whether you're seen in a private room by one doctor for the full visit, or moved between multiple stations, changes how likely it is that the same practitioner stays with you from consultation through treatment.

Where Our Gangnam Branch Stands on These Three Points

I completed my graduate studies at Seoul National University and trained as a resident at Seoul National University Hospital. I currently serve as an Allergan faculty member for Juvederm and Botox, and as a Key Doctor for Potenza and Ulthera Z. I also lecture with the Korean Society for Clinical Cosmetic Medicine. Separately, I run a Korean beauty channel with about 100,000 subscribers, where I've published procedure footage and explanations publicly over time.

Treatment at our Gangnam branch takes place in a private room. The branch is located on the second floor of UH FLAT SIGNATURE Gangnam, so same-day treatment and any follow-up observation happen along one continuous path rather than across separate buildings. For patients who need interpretation, we have staff on site who can support Japanese, Chinese, and English.

FAQ

What if my consent form doesn't list a practitioner's name at all?

Ask for it to be written in. Because pre-treatment explanation and consent are supposed to happen with the patient understanding both who is treating them and what the treatment involves, asking for that name to be documented is a reasonable request, not an imposition.

If my consultation date and treatment date are different, is it still the same doctor?

That can vary depending on scheduling, so it's worth confirming who is assigned on the treatment date itself at the time you book. My own practice is to carry out the depth and volume I plan during consultation myself, without handing that plan to someone else to execute.

Who should I contact if something feels wrong after treatment?

If redness or pain continues past the period you were told to expect, or if a firm area under the skin isn't shrinking and instead seems to be growing, contact the clinic where you were treated first rather than treating it yourself. Skin response and recovery time vary by individual. For an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan, please consult a licensed physician.