Face procedures at Me Clinic

Me Clinic offers surgical and non-surgical facial procedures from our clinic at 4 Burke Road, Malvern East. Surgery is performed by Specialist Plastic Surgeons at accredited private hospitals around Melbourne; non-surgical treatments are performed at the clinic by cosmetic doctors and nurses.

This page sets out what is available, and - more usefully - how to work out which of them is relevant to what you actually want changed.

Start with the problem, not the procedure

Most facial ageing is a combination of four separate processes. They respond to different treatments, and choosing the wrong one is the most common and most expensive mistake.

What has changed	What addresses it
Skin quality - texture, pigmentation, fine lines	Laser and skin treatments, sun protection, skincare
Lines created by muscle movement	Anti-wrinkle injections
Volume loss - hollows, flattening, shadows	Dermal fillers or fat transfer
Skin laxity and tissue descent - jowls, loose neck skin, hooded lids	Surgery: facelift, neck lift, blepharoplasty, brow lift

The fourth row is the one injectables do not solve. Filling a face whose real problem is descent adds weight to tissue that is already falling. A proper assessment identifies which of these is driving what you see, and an honest one will tell you when a procedure is not the answer.

Surgical procedures

Facelift (rhytidectomy) - repositions descended tissue and removes excess skin in the mid and lower face. Facelift costs range from $20,000 to $50,000 depending on type.
Neck lift - addresses loose skin and banding in the neck, often combined with a facelift.
Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) - removes excess skin and reduces puffiness of the eyelids. Upper eyelid surgery $8,000 to $12,000; lower eyelid $9,000 to $13,000; upper and lower together $15,000 to $18,000. Where drooping eyelids impair the visual field, MBS item 45618 may apply. See also upper blepharoplasty and lower blepharoplasty.
Brow lift (forehead lift) - raises descended brows and softens forehead lines. From $10,000.
Rhinoplasty - cosmetic nose surgery, $15,000 to $30,000. Where performed to correct breathing difficulties, MBS items 45632 to 45644 and 45650 may apply.
Otoplasty (cosmetic ear surgery) - reshapes or repositions prominent ears. $7,000 to $14,000.
Fat transfer to face - uses your own fat, harvested by liposuction, to restore facial volume.

Non-surgical treatments

Anti-wrinkle treatments - temporarily relax the muscles creating expression lines. Effects typically last three to six months.
Volume enhancing treatments (dermal fillers) - restore contour to cheeks, lips, jawline, temples and folds. From $590 per treatment. Includes non-surgical nose augmentation and dissolving of previous filler.
Thread lift - absorbable sutures placed under the skin to reposition tissue and stimulate collagen. With Dr Ku from $4,900. Includes neck and nose thread lifts.
Laser skin rejuvenation - a range of devices addressing texture, pigmentation, redness and fine lines, including Fraxel, CO2 laser, Laser Genesis, Yag laser, IPL, Healite II LED and photodynamic therapy.
Double chin reduction - from $3,500.
Facial vein treatments - for visible surface vessels and redness.
Facial hair removal, including epidermal levelling.
Anti-ageing procedures, including Factor4 and preventative cosmetic medicine.

Before booking any cosmetic surgery

Australian rules changed in 2023 and they are worth knowing before you start:

A GP referral is required. Since 1 July 2023, all patients must have a referral from a general practitioner before seeing a plastic surgeon or doctor about cosmetic surgery.
A cooling-off period applies. For adults, at least seven days must pass after the second consultation before surgery can be booked. For patients under 18, a three-month cooling-off period applies, along with a mandatory assessment by a registered psychologist, psychiatrist or GP.
Titles are regulated. Specialist Plastic Surgeon is a protected title held by doctors who have completed accredited surgical training and are Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Anyone's registration can be checked free of charge on the AHPRA public register.

Consultation fees

As at September 2024 and including GST:

Consultation with a Specialist Plastic Surgeon - $350
Consultation with a Cosmetic Doctor - $150
Skin assessment with a nurse or aesthetician - $50, redeemable on products or services

A partial Medicare rebate may be available for some consultations with a valid GP referral. Your consultation fee is due at the time of booking. For major surgery, payment is due four weeks before the procedure.

Medicare

Purely cosmetic surgery is not covered by Medicare. Where a facial procedure serves a functional purpose and meets strict MBS criteria - blepharoplasty for visual field impairment (item 45618), rhinoplasty for nasal obstruction (items 45632 to 45644, 45650), skin cancer removal with reconstruction (item 45060) - a partial rebate may be available. Eligibility is a clinical judgement made at consultation and requires a valid referral.

Me Clinic is not a no-gap provider, so out-of-pocket costs apply even where a rebate is available. See does Medicare cover my surgery.

Risks

All surgical and invasive procedures carry risks. For facial surgery these include infection, bleeding and haematoma, permanent scarring, changes in sensation which may be permanent, nerve injury affecting facial movement, asymmetry, delayed wound healing, skin necrosis, hair loss along incisions, anaesthesia complications including rare but serious events, blood clots, an unsatisfactory result and the possible need for revision surgery.

Non-surgical injectable treatments carry their own risks, including bruising, infection, asymmetry, altered expression and - for dermal fillers - vascular occlusion, which can cause tissue death and, rarely, permanent vision loss.

Please read our information on the risks and complications of cosmetic surgery before proceeding.

Where procedures are performed

Non-surgical treatments and minor procedures are performed at 4 Burke Road, Malvern East VIC 3145 - five minutes' walk from Caulfield station. Major surgery is performed at accredited private hospitals where our surgeons hold operating rights, including Masada Private (St Kilda East), Epworth Geelong (Waurn Ponds), St Vincent's Werribee, Sir John Monash Private (Clayton), Peninsula Private (Langwarrin) and Linacre Private (Hampton). See hospitals.

Clinic hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am to 5pm, Tuesday and Thursday 9am to 7pm, and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Phone 1300 852 050.

See breast surgery, body procedures, skin, pricing, or patient resources.

Individual results may vary. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.