Anti-wrinkle injections
Softening of lines that form when you frown, squint or raise your brows, or other facial areas as needed.
What is involvedTreatments · cosmetic
Reversible hyaluronic acid dermal fillers
Restoring volume and definition to the lips, cheeks, chin or jawline, with a doctor assessing what is appropriate before anything is injected.
- Appointment
- Consultation and treatment, usually 45 to 90 minutes
- Downtime
- Swelling and bruising for several days is normal
- Where
- Your home, office or hotel
- Who treats you
- Dr Cheryl Whitecross
Dermal fillers are gels injected beneath the skin to add volume or change contour. They are used where tissue has lost volume, or where definition is wanted — commonly the lips, mid-face, chin and jawline.
The change is visible straight away, though swelling in the first few days means the settled result is not what you see in the mirror on the day. Fillers are not permanent; how long they last depends on the area treated, the product used and the individual, and is discussed at consultation rather than promised in advance.
Filler is a medical device placed near arteries, nerves and the eye. The complications that matter are uncommon but serious, and the single most useful thing about being treated by a registered practitioner trained to give these injections is what happens on the rare day something goes wrong.
Reversible means there is a medicine that dissolves this kind of filler, which is part of why who holds the syringe matters. That medicine is prescription-only, and Australian law does not allow a prescription medicine to be named in advertising to the public — so it is discussed with you at consultation rather than described here.
Who it may suit
- Loss of volume in the mid-face, lips or temples
- Definition of the chin or jawline
- People who want the change assessed as a whole face rather than area by area
What happens at the appointment
- Consultation, history, and an honest conversation about what filler can and cannot do.
- Assessment of the area, including whether a different approach would serve you better.
- If it proceeds, treatment on the same visit. Numbing is used for most areas.
- Aftercare instructions, and a direct number to call if anything concerns you.
Risks and what can go wrong
Every procedure on this site carries risk. These are the material ones for reversible hyaluronic acid dermal fillers; the full list, and how they apply to you specifically, is part of the consultation.
- Swelling, bruising, redness and tenderness, often for several days
- Lumps, firmness or visible irregularity under the skin
- Asymmetry, or a result that does not meet your expectation
- Infection at the injection site
- Rarely, vascular occlusion — filler entering or compressing a blood vessel, which can cause tissue damage and, very rarely, visual loss. This is a medical emergency, and is the reason treatment should be by someone equipped to recognise and manage it.
- Delayed inflammatory nodules, which can appear months after treatment
Results vary between people and no outcome is guaranteed. If you are concerned about something after treatment, call — that is what the number is for. In an emergency, call 000.
Other treatments
Jaw clenching and TMD
Assessment and treatment of jaw clenching, teeth grinding and temporomandibular disorder — a medical problem rather than a cosmetic one.
What is involvedExcessive sweating (not yet offered)
Assessment and treatment of hyperhidrosis of the underarms — a recognised medical condition, not a matter of grooming.
What is involved