Mildura and regional Victoria

Me Clinic sees patients from across regional Victoria, including the Mildura area. This page explains how that works in practice, so you can plan properly before booking anything.

Consultations and procedures take place at our clinic at 4 Burke Road, Malvern East, Melbourne, and at accredited Melbourne day facilities and private hospitals for surgery. If you would like to know whether a consulting session is available closer to you, phone 1300 852 050 and ask - we will tell you plainly rather than have you travel unnecessarily.

Planning around the distance

Mildura to Melbourne is roughly 550km, about six hours by road or a short flight. That distance changes how a treatment plan should be arranged.

Cosmetic surgery

Since 1 July 2023, cosmetic surgery in Australia requires:

• A referral before your first consultation - obtain this from your local GP before travelling
• Screening for underlying psychological conditions
• At least two consultations before surgery can be booked - one of which may be by telehealth

That telehealth allowance matters for regional patients: in many cases one consultation can be done from home, reducing the number of trips. It does not remove the need for an in-person assessment before surgery.

See cosmetic surgery rule changes.

Plan for the aftercare, not just the operation

This is where travelling patients most often come unstuck. Recovery requires review appointments - wound checks, suture removal, and follow-up at intervals. Those are not optional, and they are the appointments people are tempted to skip because of the drive.

Before you commit, work out:

• How many trips are involved in total, and when
• Where you will stay in Melbourne immediately after the procedure - most people should not travel long distances straight afterwards
• Who is driving you home; you cannot drive yourself after sedation or a general anaesthetic
• Who is with you for the first days at home
• What happens if a complication arises once you are back in Mildura, and which local service you would contact

We would rather work out an honest schedule with you on the phone before you book than have you discover the travel burden afterwards. Call us and we will map it out.

Flying

If you plan to fly, ask specifically when it is safe to do so. Surgery raises the risk of deep vein thrombosis, and so does immobility on a flight. Cabin pressure can also worsen swelling. Advice to avoid flying for a period after certain procedures is standard.

Non-surgical treatments

Injectables, laser, skin needling and peels do not require a referral. They do, however, usually work as a course - several sessions spaced weeks apart, then maintenance.

That is worth knowing before starting: a treatment course that assumes you can attend every four weeks is a different proposition from six hours away. Discuss the realistic schedule at consultation, and be open about what you can actually attend - a plan built around visits you cannot make will not produce the result it was designed for.

Skin checks and lesions

If you have a mole or lesion you are concerned about, do not wait for a trip to Melbourne. Have it assessed locally, promptly. A changing lesion is a reason to see someone this week, not next season.

If removal is needed, it can be done wherever it is done well - and the important thing is that a lesion of concern is excised whole and sent to pathology rather than lasered or frozen off. See skin cancers.

Vein treatment

Vein assessment requires duplex ultrasound, and treatment usually requires several sessions plus compression afterwards. Dr Tim French (MED0001790529), phlebologist, leads this work. Discuss the schedule before starting. See vein treatments.

Costs

Consultations as at September 2024, including GST: Specialist Plastic Surgeon $350, Cosmetic Doctor $150, vein consultation $230, skin assessment $50. Procedures are quoted in writing after consultation.

Budget for travel and accommodation as part of the total cost. Me Clinic is not a no-gap provider; where Medicare item numbers apply you are told which ones and what the expected out-of-pocket cost is.

Contact

Me Clinic, 4 Burke Road, Malvern East VIC 3145. Phone 1300 852 050 or (03) 9569 3511, or use the online consultation form. Tell us where you are travelling from when you call.

Related: all locations, the Malvern East clinic, about Me Clinic.

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