Skin treatments

This section covers the treatments themselves - what each one does, what it is used for, and what to expect. The conditions they treat are covered under skin conditions.

A treatment is a tool, not a plan. The same laser can be right for one person's pigmentation and wrong for another's, depending on skin type, the depth of the pigment and what caused it. Which treatment suits you is decided after assessment, not before.

Resurfacing and collagen stimulation

• Laser treatments - CO2, erbium, Fraxel, Nd:YAG, IPL and Laser Genesis, for texture, pigment, redness and lines
• Skin needling - controlled micro-injury to stimulate collagen; used for texture, scarring and fine lines
• Chemical peels - depth chosen to match the problem, from superficial refreshing to medium resurfacing
• Microdermabrasion - mechanical exfoliation with minimal downtime
• Epidermal levelling - removes surface dead cells and fine vellus hair
• Factor 4
• Healite II LED - light therapy to reduce inflammation and support healing

Lesion removal

• Surgical excision - removes the lesion whole, so it can be sent to pathology
• Curettage - scraping superficial lesions from the surface
• Electrosurgery (radiofrequency) - for raised benign lesions and skin tags
• Cryotherapy - liquid nitrogen for assessed benign lesions and solar keratoses

Read this before choosing a removal method. Electrosurgery, laser and cryotherapy destroy the tissue. If a lesion turns out to have been an early skin cancer, there is nothing left for a pathologist to examine. Anything with features of concern is excised whole and tested instead. See skin cancers.

Topical and injectable treatments

• Cosmeceutical skincare - medical-grade topicals: retinoids, antioxidants, pigment inhibitors, barrier repair
• Depigmenting lotion treatments - for pigmentation and melasma
• Cortisone injections - for inflamed acne cysts and raised scars
• Prescription medication - prescribed after a doctor's consultation. Prescription-only medicines cannot be named or promoted in advertising to the public under Australian law, which is why you will not find brand names for them on this site.
• Mineral make-up - cover, and physical sun protection

How treatments are chosen

Four things determine what is appropriate:

1. What the concern actually is. Several skin conditions look alike and respond differently. Assessment comes first.
2. Your skin type. Light-based and ablative treatments carry a higher risk of pigment change in darker skin, so device and settings change accordingly.
3. How much downtime you can accept. Deeper treatments do more and take longer to recover from. Both ends of that trade-off are legitimate.
4. Your medical history. Pregnancy, photosensitising medication, recent oral acne medication, a keloid tendency, cold sores and autoimmune conditions all change what is safe.

What results are realistic

Most skin treatments work as a course rather than a single session, and the results build over months as collagen remodels rather than appearing immediately.

Most also need maintenance, because the causes - sun exposure, ageing, genetics, hormones - continue after treatment stops.

Improvement, not transformation, is the honest word for what these treatments do. Individual results vary.

Risks

Risks differ by treatment and skin type, and commonly include redness, swelling, peeling, crusting, blistering, changes in pigmentation that can persist, scarring, infection, incomplete response and the need for repeat treatment. Your practitioner will go through the risks specific to what is proposed for you.

See risks and complications of cosmetic surgery.

Cost

As at September 2024 and including GST: skin assessment $50, Cosmetic Doctor consultation $150. Dermal skin treatments start from $130. A course is quoted after assessment - ask for the cost of the whole plan, and of maintenance afterwards, rather than a single session.

Cosmetic treatment is not covered by Medicare. Medically indicated treatment may attract a rebate; Me Clinic is not a no-gap provider.

Who provides these treatments

Cosmetic Doctors including Dr Gordon Ku (MED0001169203); Dr Tim French (MED0001790529), phlebologist, for vein and vascular work; and Michelle Casey, Paramedical Aesthetician, for treatment-room skin work.

Booking

Me Clinic, 4 Burke Road, Malvern East VIC 3145. Phone 1300 852 050 or (03) 9569 3511. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am-5pm, Tuesday and Thursday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am-2pm. Or use the online consultation form.

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.