№ 01Hartley Wells
Considered,never overdone.
A doctor-led skin clinic in a townhouse on The Crescent. Consultation first, the smallest honest dose, a review at two weeks, and downtime told to you in days. About a third of the people we see are advised to do less than they asked for.
4.9 from 280 Google reviews
- 01Doctor consultation and a 48-hour cooling-off period before every treatment
- 02Two-week review with photographs included; top-ups and adjustments at no charge
- 0331% of patients advised to do less than they asked for in 2025
№ 02Contents
Concerns, A to Z
What each one is, what usually helps and what does not, and whether it can wait. Almost everything here is routine; a changing mole is not, and we say so.
- 01Acne scarringSkin treatmentsMicroneedlingfrom £220
- 02Acne, adultSkin treatmentsPrescription skincare programmefrom £195
- 03Dark circles and hollowsInjectablesSkin boostersfrom £275
- 04Excessive sweatingInjectablesExcessive sweating treatmentfrom £395
- 05Fine lines and wrinklesInjectablesAnti-wrinkle injectionsfrom £195
- 06Jawline and neckInjectablesDermal fillerfrom £325
- 07Lips: thinning and linesInjectablesLip enhancementfrom £295
- 08MelasmaSkin treatmentsPrescription skincare programmefrom £195
- 09Moles and marks that changeSkin health checksSoonDoctor's mole and skin checkfrom £165
- 10Redness and rosaceaSkin treatmentsPrescription skincare programmefrom £195
- 11Sagging and loss of firmnessInjectablesProfhilofrom £345
- 12Stubborn fat pocketsBodyFat freezingfrom £350
- 13Sun damage and age spotsLaser & IPLIPL for pigmentation and rednessfrom £245
- 14Texture and poresSkin treatmentsMedical chemical peelfrom £140
- 15Unwanted hairLaser & IPLLaser hair removalfrom £60
- 16Volume lossInjectablesDermal fillerfrom £325
№ 03Questionnaire
The skin quiz
Five questions, one minute. We suggest the one treatment or programme most likely to help, a routine to start tonight, and the consultation that decides it. It is a guide, not a prescription; the doctor's consultation is where the plan is written.
- 01AskFive minutes
- 02Consult45 minutes
- 03Think48 hours or more
- 04Treat20 to 90 minutes
- 05Review20 minutes
Your first appointment: a consultation, not a treatmentNothing is injected at a first appointment, for anyone. If the doctor advises no treatment, you have still had the imaging, the routine and the honest answer.
№ 01 of 05
The skin quizHow would you describe your skin most days?
Go with what it does by lunchtime.
The quiz suggests; it does not diagnose or prescribe. Every treatment follows a face-to-face consultation with a doctor or nurse prescriber, a medical history and at least 48 hours to think. Over-18s only.
№ 05The practitioners
A doctor sees everyone first. Then the person who is best at the treatment.
Dr Eleanor Vance01
Medical director and aesthetic doctor
GMCNext Thu 10:30
“If I can't tell you which millilitre changed what, I shouldn't be injecting it.”
Dr Samir Haddad02
Aesthetic doctor and skin health lead
GMCNext Wed 09:15
“A mole check before a laser course is not an upsell. It is the order things go in.”
Rosalind Achebe03
Aesthetic nurse prescriber
NMCNext Mon 13:00
“Nobody has ever come back to me and said they wished I had used more on the first go.”
Megan Llewellyn04
Dermatology nurse
NMCNext Tue 11:00
“Downtime is a number of days. If someone tells you 'minimal', ask them how many.”
Tomasz Nowak05
Senior laser therapist
JCCPNext Mon 08:30
“The patch test is the treatment. The other eight sessions are just repeating it.”
Priya Raman06
Laser and IPL therapist
JCCPNext Wed 14:00
“Light is a tool for two colours, brown and red. Everything else needs a different plan.”
Hana Kimura07
Skin therapist
Next Tue 12:30
“The best treatment for most skin is the boring one done every month.”
Charlotte Bell08
Patient coordinator
Answers the phone
“Ask me which appointment. I will not sell you three areas when you asked about one.”
№ 06Programmes
Programmes
Three ways to plan a year of skin rather than a treatment at a time. Each is a written plan with the dates in your diary, a fixed price and a doctor's review at the end. Paid monthly at 0% if you prefer.
Skin reset01
£89012 weeks
- Doctor consultation with imaging
- Prescription skincare programme
- Three light peels or three LED sessions
- One microneedling session
- Imaging repeated at twelve weeks
- Saves £145 on the parts
For texture, tone, acne and the person who has never had a routine.
Bridal countdown02
£1,6506 months
- Consultation at six months out
- Prescription skincare from day one
- Profhilo, two sessions
- Three hydration facials, the last a week before
- Anti-wrinkle injections, one area, timed at six weeks out
- Two-week review before the day
- Nothing new within four weeks of the wedding
- Saves £230 on the parts
Also for a big birthday, a reunion or a role. The rule about nothing new in the last month applies to all of them.
Maintenance year03
£2,40012 months
- Two doctor reviews
- Anti-wrinkle injections, up to three areas, three times
- Profhilo, one maintenance session
- Four hydration facials
- A yearly skin check
- Priority booking and 10% off skincare
- Saves £360 on the parts
For people who already know what works and want it done quietly.
№ 07Skin plans
Skin plans
A monthly plan for the maintenance layer: the facial, the LED, the skincare, and priority in the diary. Cancel with a month's notice after the first three months. Injectables are never in a plan; they are decided at a review, every time.
01Essential
£89/ month
One hydration facial a month · LED add-on at every facial · 10% off skincare · A yearly skin check at half price · Priority booking for Thursday evenings
02Signature
£149/ month
One hydration facial or light peel a month · One LED course of six a year · One microneedling session a year · 15% off skincare · A yearly skin check included · Two-week reviews of any treatment by video
03Complete
£249/ month
Everything in Signature · A second peel or facial each month · Profhilo, one maintenance session a year · Two doctor reviews a year with imaging · 20% off skincare · A guest facial for someone else, twice a year
Plans are demonstration pricing. Injectable treatments are excluded from every plan by design: a plan should never create pressure to inject.
№ 08The shelf
The skincare shelf
Chosen by the doctors, not by which brand pays for the shelf. Medical-grade ranges, prescription-strength ingredients where they are legal to sell and prescribed where they are not, and a rule that nobody here earns commission. Most routines start at £90 to £160 and last three to four months.
01Three products, not twelve
A cleanser, one active and an SPF is most of it. We will tell you which of your existing products to keep.
02Prescribed where it matters
Tretinoin, azelaic acid, tranexamic acid and hydroquinone are prescribed by the doctors and dispensed here, with a review built in.
03Refills by post
Members and programme patients reorder by message; it posts the same day.
04Try before you commit
A sample of any SPF or moisturiser to take home with a treatment.
If a product we recommended does not suit you within four weeks, bring it back and we swap it.
Vitamin C serum, 15%
Doctor-formulated range£68
Mineral SPF 50, tinted
Medical-grade sun care£42
Barrier repair balm
Aftercare range£38
- Morning routineCleanser, vitamin C, moisturiser, SPF 50.from £110
- Evening routineCleanser, retinoid or prescribed active, barrier moisturiser.from £95
- Aftercare kitWhat you need for the week after a peel, microneedling or IPL.from £58
- Prescription compoundDispensed here after a doctor's consultation; three-month supply.from £45
Doctor-formulated daily rangeMedical-grade vitamin C and retinoidsMineral SPF 50 tinted and untintedBarrier repair for after treatmentPrescription compounds, dispensed here
№ 09Aftercare and your review
Aftercare and your review
Treatment is the middle of the story. Here is what happens afterwards, when we call, when you come back, and what to do if something does not feel right. Everything on this page is included in the price.
- 01
Before you leave
Your practitioner goes through the aftercare sheet, you photograph the QR code for the aftercare messages, and Charlotte books your review before you reach the door.
- 02
The first 24 hours
An aftercare message that evening with the sheet for your treatment. A doctor is on the emergency line around the clock for injectables.
- 03
The day after
Charlotte rings to ask how it feels. Bruising, swelling and bumps are normal; anything on the 'call us' list is passed to the doctor within the hour.
- 04
Two weeks
The review. Photographs compared with the consultation images; a top-up, an adjustment, or nothing at all. This appointment is never optional and never charged.
- 05
Three months, then yearly
A message to ask how the skin is; a doctor's review at three months for programmes and courses; a skin check reminder every year.
TreatmentReview
- Anti-wrinkle injections reviewDay 14, top-up included
- Dermal filler and lips reviewDay 14, adjustment or dissolving included
- Profhilo and skin boosters reviewFour weeks after the last session
- Peels, microneedling and IPL reviewThree months after the course, with imaging
- Fat freezing reviewTwelve weeks, with photographs and measurements
- Skincare programme reviewsWeeks four and twelve
- Aftercare callThe next working day, every treatment
- Emergency line for injectables24 hours a day, a doctor answers
If something is wrong
After filler: skin that turns white, mottled or dusky, unusual pain, or a change in vision is an emergency. Call the emergency line immediately, day or night; do not wait for the morning. After laser, peels or IPL: blistering, spreading redness or pus is a call the same day.
01632 960901№ 10Our numbers
January to December 2025, audited January 2026What we counted last year
Every consultation, treatment and complication in 2025, counted in January. Demonstration figures for this example site, but the kind a doctor-led clinic should be able to show you.
2,140
consultations
New and returning patients seen by a doctor before any treatment was planned.
31%
advised to do less than they asked for
Fewer areas, fewer millilitres or a routine before a treatment. Recorded at every consultation.
14%
advised no treatment yet
Skin that needed a routine or a skin check first, or a wish we did not think treatment would meet.
97%
satisfied or very satisfied at the two-week review
Asked in person at every injectable review; 1,910 responses.
- 12%anti-wrinkle top-ups at review
- 0vascular events in 1,180 filler syringes
- 4melanomas found early at skin checks
- 3.2 daysmedian wait for a consultation
Every consultation records what was asked for and what was advised. Every treatment records the product, dose and area; every review records satisfaction on a five-point scale and any complication. Counted by Charlotte in January, checked by Dr Vance, and the figures on this page are the whole year, not a good month. These are demonstration figures for this example site.
ComplicationRate
- Bruising after filler9%Of 1,180 syringes. Resolved within a week; arnica offered.
- Eyelid or brow heaviness after anti-wrinkle1.1%Of 2,860 treatments. Temporary; eye drops offered where helpful.
- Infection after any injectable0.2%Six cases in 4,300 treatments, all treated with oral antibiotics.
- Burns from laser or IPL2 in 10,500Both superficial, both healed without a mark. Both on skin that had been in the sun.
- Post-peel pigmentation3 in 640All in skin types IV to V, all resolved with a prescription routine within three months.
- Filler dissolved at patient's request7Free of charge under the review policy. Three lumps, four results the patient did not like.
№ 11Three stories
What people asked for, and what we did instead.
Harriet, 4301
She asked for three areas. She had one.
At the review the frown was soft and the brow moved. A four-unit top-up on the left. She has come back every four months since for the same one area, and started SPF for the first time in her life.
- Time
- Consultation, treatment nine days later, review at two weeks
- Cost
- £75 consultation credited; £195 for one area; review and top-up included
Anti-wrinkle injections, one area, and a retinoid
Priya, 3802
The treatment she had booked elsewhere would have made it worse.
Imaging at twelve weeks showed the patches lighter and smaller. She knows they will return with sun and has a maintenance routine that costs her about £40 a month. No device was ever used.
- Time
- Twelve weeks, two reviews
- Cost
- £195 programme; products about £130 to start
Prescription skincare programme for melasma
Daniel, 3503
Eight sessions, a patch test, and a door on the mews.
By session six the growth was patchy and fine; by eight it was a few stray hairs. He booked one top-up at nine months. No burns, no marks, one sunburn-like afternoon after session two when he had, by his own admission, been in the garden.
- Time
- Patch test, then eight sessions over eleven months
- Cost
- £240 a session, or £1,540 as a course of eight paid over ten months at 0%
Laser hair removal, back and shoulders, course of eight
- Opened
- 2017
- People
- 8, led by Dr Eleanor Vance
- Doors
- The Crescent door · Chapel Mews entrance
- Registers
- CQC · GMC · NMC · JCCP
№ 12The house
The house
A Georgian townhouse on The Crescent in Hartley Wells, run as a boarding house by Dr Vance's grandmother and as a skin clinic since 2017. Doctor-led, nurse-prescribed, therapist-maintained, and quieter than you expect.
Eleanor Vance was a GP for twelve years and had, by her own count, referred several hundred patients to aesthetic clinics she had never seen inside. When she trained in aesthetic medicine herself she found an industry that sold by the syringe and reviewed by the Instagram post. The house opened in 2017 with three rules that have not changed: a doctor sees everyone first, nobody is treated on the day they decide, and every treatment is reviewed at two weeks whether or not anything needs doing.
01Consultation first
A doctor, imaging and your history before any plan. Nothing injected on the day. At least 48 hours to think.
02Less, then review
The smallest honest dose, then a two-week review with photographs where we add, adjust or leave alone, at no charge.
03Downtime in days
Every treatment tells you the days, the longevity and the risks before you book, on the menu and again in the room.
04Counted, not claimed
Consultations, doses, complications and how often we advised less, audited every January and published.
№ 13What patients say
4.9 from 280 Google reviews, in their words.
“I went in asking for three areas and Dr Vance talked me down to one and a retinoid. Two weeks later I look like I have slept, which is all I actually wanted. Nobody has noticed, which she said was the goal.”
Harriet M.
“Laser on my back with Tomasz. Patch test first, settings explained, no nonsense. Six sessions in and I have stopped thinking about it. Discreet entrance on the mews was appreciated the first time; by the third I did not care.”
Daniel O.
“The consultation was the most honest conversation I have had about my skin. Dr Haddad said the brown patches were melasma, not sun spots, and that the IPL I had booked elsewhere would have made them worse. Twelve weeks of a routine and they have faded.”
Priya S.
“Profhilo with Rosalind before my daughter's wedding. She planned it backwards from the date and refused to do anything new in the last month, which I grumbled about and was grateful for. Skin looked like mine, only better rested.”
Fiona R.
“Fat freezing on my flanks with Dr Haddad. He was clear it would be about a fifth per session and it was roughly that at twelve weeks. Four stars because the numbness lasted longer than I expected, which to be fair they had warned me about.”
Tom W.
“The two-week review is the thing. A tiny top-up on one side, no charge, no fuss, photographs compared on the screen. Charlotte rang the day after the first appointment just to check I was fine. I have never had that anywhere.”
Aisha K.
№ 14Questions patients ask
Asked at the desk, answered in writing.
01Why can't I be treated at the consultation?
Because deciding and doing should not happen in the same hour. Every treatment here follows a face-to-face consultation with a prescriber and a cooling-off period of at least 48 hours; England's planned licensing scheme proposes the same minimum. Most people book the treatment for the following week before they leave.
02How do deposits work?
A £50 deposit secures a treatment appointment and comes off the price on the day. It is refunded in full if you cancel with 48 hours' notice, or at any time if the doctor decides at consultation that the treatment is not right for you. Consultations are paid on the day and credited to any treatment within three months.
03Do you treat under-18s?
No. Injectable cosmetic treatment under 18 has been illegal in England since 2021, and we apply the same rule to every cosmetic treatment. We ask for photographic ID if there is any doubt. Skin health checks and acne advice for teenagers are available with a doctor, with a parent present.
04I'm pregnant or breastfeeding. What can I have?
A facial, LED and a routine designed around pregnancy. We do not do injectables, peels, laser, IPL or fat freezing during pregnancy or breastfeeding: not because of proven harm, but because there is no evidence of safety and we will not be the ones to test it. Book a skin health consultation and we will plan the rest for later.
05Will people be able to tell?
Our aim is that people tell you that you look well and cannot say why. We treat by the smallest area and the fewest millilitres that will do the job, and add at the two-week review if you want more. About a third of the people we see are advised to do less than they asked for.
06What if I don't like the result?
Tell us at the review, or before. Anti-wrinkle results are adjusted with a top-up at two weeks and wear off within months. Hyaluronic acid filler can be adjusted or dissolved, and under our review policy we do that without charge if we agree it is not right. Last year we dissolved seven.
07Who is regulated by whom?
Our doctors are registered with the General Medical Council and our nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Council; both prescribe. The clinic is registered with the Care Quality Commission for the treatments that require it. Our laser therapists are on the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners register and hold NVQ Level 4 in laser and light. Registration numbers on this example site are demonstration numbers.
08Do you sell gift vouchers, and can they be used for injectables?
Vouchers are for any amount and are valid for twelve months on facials, LED, skincare, programmes and skin plans. They cannot be used for injectables: a gift should never be the reason someone has a needle in their face. If the recipient chooses an injectable after a consultation, the voucher value can be used toward the consultation and skincare instead.
№ 15Dates
Evenings at the house: no treatments, no offers.
15October18:30 to 20:30
Open evening: the house, the doctors, the questions
Meet Dr Vance, Dr Haddad and the team, see the rooms and the imaging, and ask the questions you would not ask on the phone. Ten-minute skin imaging with a therapist for anyone who wants it. No treatments, no offers, no pressure; that is the point of it.
Consultation30 places
7November08:30 to 12:30, 20-minute slots
Skin health morning: mole checks with Dr Haddad
Single-lesion checks at £40 instead of £85, dermoscopy and a written note, for anyone with a mole they have been meaning to ask about. Twelve slots; book with Charlotte.
Skin health checks12 places
21November10:00 to 13:00, 30-minute slots
Bridal and big-date planning Saturday
Thirty minutes with Rosalind or Hana to draw a calendar backwards from your date: what needs six months, what needs six weeks, and what should never be done in the last four. Free; bring the date.
Injectables8 places
3December17:30 to 19:30
Men's laser and skin evening
Tomasz on laser for backs, necks and beard lines; Dr Haddad on the ten-minute routine that actually works; Hana on why a facial is not a spa day. Patch tests on the night for anyone who wants to start.
Laser & IPL16 places
01632 960900Places are held by phone; nothing is sold on the night.
№ 16Request a consultation
Book a consultation or a treatment
Consultations can be booked straight away. Treatments can only be booked once you have had a consultation and 48 hours have passed; choose the reason and Charlotte checks the dates. A £50 deposit holds a treatment slot and comes off the price. Times shown are demonstration data.
- A £50 deposit secures a treatment appointment; consultations are paid on the day. Availability is demonstration data.
Your first appointment: a consultation, not a treatment
45 minutes with a doctor
- Skin imaging under three kinds of light
- Your medical history and a suitability check
- Every option with its price, downtime, longevity and risks
- A written plan to take home
- At least 48 hours before anything is booked
- The fee credited to whatever you choose
Nothing is injected at a first appointment, for anyone. If the doctor advises no treatment, you have still had the imaging, the routine and the honest answer.
№ 01What brings you
Consultation
Skin health checks
Injectables
Skin treatments
Laser & IPL
Body
Facials & skincare
№ 17Two doors
9 The Crescent, and the discreet way in on Chapel Mews.
The Crescent door01
ConsultationSkin treatmentsFacials & skincareSkin health checksBody
Two hours free on The Crescent with the clinic's permit; the Gardens car park is three minutes' walk
Chapel Mews entrance02
InjectablesLaser & IPLBody
Two spaces in the mews for treatment appointments, booked with Charlotte; step-free
The black door with the brass plate at 9 The Crescent, opposite the gardens. For the discreet entrance, walk round to Chapel Mews and ring the bell; Charlotte lets you in. Two hours' free parking on The Crescent with the clinic's permit; ask when you book.
By train
Hartley Wells station is a nine-minute walk along Spa Road. Direct trains from London Waterloo every half hour, 58 minutes.
By car
Two hours free on The Crescent with our permit, or the Gardens car park three minutes away. Two spaces in Chapel Mews for treatment days; ask Charlotte.
Treatment day
Nothing here needs a driver. Come without make-up if you can, with a hat if it is IPL or a peel, and with your medicines list.
Discreetly
Chapel Mews has no shops and no view from The Crescent. Ask for a mews time and nobody else will be due through it.
Mon–Wed 08:30–18:00Thu 08:30–20:00Fri 08:30–18:00Sat 09:00–14:00
Charlotte Bell answers 01632 960900 · WhatsApp the same number
Considered, never overdone.