The Beauty Director's Black Book: The Aesthetics Doctors Worth Trusting With Your Face
The only names you need
I've spent well over a decade working as a beauty editor, and a significant portion of that time as a willing human pin-cushion in the name of research. I've been injected, lasered, resurfaced, and sculpted by practitioners across the country, which has also given me a finely tuned radar for identifying the truly exceptional. I'm talking about the ones who are medically rigorous, artistically restrained, and utterly incapable of over-treating someone. The names below are the ones I would send my closest friends to (and have done many times), without hesitation.
But first, a note on safety: with aesthetics injectables now more accessible than ever, choosing a qualified practitioner matters more than ever, too. Always ensure your injector is a registered medical professional—a doctor, dentist, or nurse prescriber—and check their credentials via the GMC, NMC, or GDC registers. The Save Face accreditation scheme is also a useful starting point for vetting clinics.
Now, a peek inside my Black Book...
Taktouk Clinic
- Where: Knightsbridge; The Chancery Rosewood, Mayfair, London
- Who: Dr Wassim Taktouk and Dr Christine Hall
- Known for: Advanced injectables, K-beauty-informed skin treatments, laser dermatology, ethical and safety-first ethos
Winner of Aesthetic Clinic of the Year in both 2023 and 2024, Taktouk Clinic has earned its reputation through substance rather than hype. Dr Wassim—who trained in A&E before spending a decade in emergency medicine—brings a clinical precision that shows in every result; he won't treat you if he doesn't think you need it. Everything he does accentuates in an artistic and perfectly proportioned way, so that the result reads as good genes rather than good injectables.
Dr Christine Hall is the clinic's K-beauty specialist: a GMC-registered GP with South Korean heritage and a deep knowledge of the skincare ingredients and techniques that have made Seoul the world capital of skin. She's inarguably responsible for some of the best glass-skin results in London. To have both of these experts in one setting puts this clinic right at the top of my list.
Prager Clinic
- Where: Beauchamp Place, Chelsea
- Who: Dr Michael Prager
- Known for: Whole-face rejuvenation, non-surgical approaches, long-term patient relationships
One of Europe's most consistently cited aesthetic physicians, Dr Prager has been practising for over 20 years—and has been my go-to doctor for Botox for six of those years (I don't think anyone does it better than him). He treats the face as a whole rather than chasing individual concerns, which is exactly the kind of thinking that separates the great from the merely competent. The result is a face that looks holistically rested and refreshed, not frozen and filled in specific spots.
The Aesthetics Doctor
- Where: Mayfair, London; Leeds; Cheshire
- Who: Dr Ahmed El Muntasar
- Known for: Medically led aesthetics, Sculptra, advanced injectables and laser treatments
Dr Ahmed has the credentials that would make most practitioners feel slightly inadequate. He was the youngest-ever medical student admitted to St Andrews, NHS GP, MSc in Medical Leadership from UCL, over 10,000 procedures performed (and he's a judge at the Marie Claire Skin Awards). His Sculptra work, in particular, is worth a mention—Sculptra is currently the most sought-after biostimulator in aesthetics (it stimulates your own collagen rather than simply filling, which means results build gradually and last up to two years), and Dr Ahmed administers it with the same precision and restraint that defines everything else he does.
His Mayfair clinic was named Best New Clinic at the Safety in Beauty Awards 2025, and patients travel from the Middle East and beyond for his work. Plus, he's genuinely one of the nicest, warmest practitioners I've ever had the pleasure of being treated by.
Dr Sophie Shotter
- Where: 10 Harley Street, London
- Who: Dr Sophie Shotter
- Known for: Natural injectables, polynucleotides, holistic anti-ageing, energy-based devices
Dr Shotter's philosophy is that the best work should be invisible, meaning you'll leave looking like yourself, just significantly more rested and with a coveted glow. A board member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine and Aesthetic Medical Practitioner of the Year 2023, she's as rigorous about safety as she is about results. Her inside-out approach, combining injectables with skincare, supplements, and hormone health where relevant, is what sets her apart from the crowd.
The Soni Clinic
- Where: Ascot, Berkshire; The Langham, London
- Who: Dr Ash Soni
- Known for: Surgical and non-surgical expertise, polynucleotides, Sculptra, precision injectables
Dr Ash Soni is, technically, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon—trained at Imperial College, Cornell's New York Presbyterian, Johns Hopkins, and The Royal Marsden. Which is to say: he's operating at a level most aesthetic doctors could only dream of. He literally brings surgical-level anatomical knowledge to non-surgical treatments. Plus, his aesthetic eye is renowned for being exceptional, and his clinic's London residency at The Langham is beautiful. He has also published more than 40 peer-reviewed papers, which tells you everything about how seriously he takes the science.
Dr Glyn Medispa
- Where: Chester; Fitzrovia, London
- Who: Dr Glyn Estebanez
- Known for: Facial harmonisation, bespoke injectables, a surgical eye applied to non-surgical results
Another trained surgeon and member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Dr Glyn's move into aesthetic means he approaches the face with a structural understanding most injectors simply don't have. His signature offering, facial harmonisation, is exactly what it sounds like: a whole-face approach that prioritises balance and proportion over isolated quick fixes. He has been accepted into the Mauricio de Maio global mentoring programme, which is effectively the gold standard in aesthetic education, and his work across Chester and Fitzrovia has earned him a devoted following. If you're nervous, he's also notably good at putting first-timers at ease.
