Responsible Cosmetic Surgery and Responsible Cosmetic Medicine

Responsible Cosmetic Surgery™ and Responsible Cosmetic Medicine™ are Me Clinic's own code of practice. They are not a regulatory accreditation and not a qualification - they are commitments we have set for ourselves, and this page states them so you can hold us to them.

The regulatory floor is set elsewhere: the Medical Board of Australia's standards and AHPRA's advertising guidelines apply to us whatever we write here. See cosmetic surgery rule changes.

What we commit to

1. Surgery only when it is the right answer

Our practitioners recommend the least invasive option that will actually achieve what you want. Surgery is proposed when it is genuinely the best option - not as a default, and not because it is the more expensive line on the price list.

Where a non-surgical treatment, a change in skincare, or simply doing nothing is the better answer, that is what we say.

2. Alternatives explained, including doing nothing

You should leave a consultation knowing what the alternatives are, what each would involve, and what would happen if you did nothing at all. That last option is a real one and is presented as such.

3. What is possible, and what is not

Our practitioners tell patients plainly what a procedure can and cannot achieve. Realistic expectations are not a disclaimer at the bottom of a page - they are the substance of the conversation, and the reason this site states limits as often as it states benefits.

4. The whole course of care, not just the operation

The commitment runs from the first consultation through recovery and afterwards - post-operative review, access when something is not healing as expected, and honest handling if a result is not what was hoped for.

A clinic's real character shows in how it handles the cases that do not go well, not the ones that do.

5. Saying no

Some people are not suitable candidates - because of medical history, because expectations cannot be met, because the timing is wrong, or because the distress driving the request is not something surgery addresses. Screening for underlying psychological conditions, including body dysmorphic disorder, is required before cosmetic surgery.

Declining to operate is part of practising responsibly, and it is a conversation we will have when it applies.

6. Prevention over correction where it is available

Where the visible signs of skin ageing can be slowed by sun protection, skincare and earlier intervention, that is the better path than a larger correction later. See Preventative Cosmetic Medicine. Where a holistic approach - diet, exercise, lifestyle - is appropriate, we say so, with the caveat that it is advice about general health rather than a substitute for medical treatment.

7. Assessment before destruction

A skin lesion that has not been assessed is not lasered, frozen or burned off, because those methods leave nothing for a pathologist. Anything of concern is excised whole and tested. See skin cancers.

8. Honest advertising

No testimonials, no influencer content, no retouched or inconsistently lit before-and-after images, no superlatives we cannot substantiate, no discounts dangled to force a quick decision, and no claim to a specialty that does not exist.

9. Price and registration transparency

Indicative prices are published on the procedure pages. You are given one accurate written quote at consultation. Every practitioner is named with their AHPRA registration number, which you can verify at ahpra.gov.au. We state plainly that Me Clinic is not a no-gap provider.

10. Second opinions encouraged

We recommend a second medical opinion before any surgical procedure, ideally from a registered Specialist Plastic Surgeon - and we provide second opinions to people who have consulted elsewhere.

If we fall short

If your experience does not match what is written here, tell us - phone 1300 852 050 or (03) 9569 3511, or use the contact page.

You can also raise concerns about any registered practitioner directly with AHPRA at ahpra.gov.au, and in Victoria with the Health Complaints Commissioner. Those avenues exist independently of us, and we would rather you knew about them.

Booking

Me Clinic, 4 Burke Road, Malvern East VIC 3145. Phone 1300 852 050 or (03) 9569 3511, or use the online consultation form.

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.