Dermal fillers are a sterile, injectable gel, made primarily of hyaluronic acid (H.A.), which is a water-binding molecule that occurs naturally throughout the human body. Dermal fillers are manufactured under sterile conditions, and come from a pharmaceutical company. Dermal fillers are injected with small needles into the skin, at varying depths and levels, to restore lost volume, and to hydrate and rejuvenate the skin.

There are many different types of dermal fillers; they vary in thickness, and in longevity. Different areas of the face require different types of filler, for example dermal fillers that are injected into the lips for volumisation are a soft, supple product that mimics lip tissue in order to look and feel natural. Whereas fillers used to enhance cheekbone contour and projection are firmer, are injected more deeply, and are designed to mimic the look of natural facial structure. Your experienced injector here at Eltham Cosmetic Clinic will guide you through our array of dermal filler products, and which ones are most suitable for you, and to most effectively achieve the results you desire.

Dermal fillers used at ECC are TGA/FDA approved, and are a Schedule 4 Medication which must be prescribed by a one of our resident medical doctors. Please note that there are medical contraindications for this procedure and may not suitable for every client. A full consultation, including a medical contusion with one of our doctors will take place prior to commencing any treatment of this nature to determine suitability.

Hollowness under the eyes (known as the tear trough) Sagging of the cheeks causing folds, loss of jawline definition/appearance of ‘jowls’ Enhancement of the mouth and lip area Replenishing lost volume or enhancing the cheekbone area Replenishment of lost volume to temples and foreheads, usually causing heavying of the eyelids or ‘hooded’ eyelids, which worsen with time.

The first step to having dermal fillers here at Eltham Cosmetic Clinic is thorough consultation with one of our friendly registered nurses. This is the perfect opportunity to go through any queries and concerns you have, and there are no silly questions! We provide as much information and education at this part of the process as we can, to ensure you feel comfortable and ready to proceed.

We can schedule a consultation on its own, with no obligation to commit to treatment on the same day, or you can schedule both consultation and treatment on the same day if that suits you.

During your consultation, your nurse will conduct a thorough assessment of your medical status and history, medications, allergies, lifestyle factor, and any other factor that may render you unsuitable for this type of treatment. We also conduct a consultation with one of our resident doctors here in the clinic, in order to obtain a prescription for the injectable products to be injected, as they are a categorised as a prescription-only (Schedule 4) medication.

Before photographs are taken, which remain confidential, and kept on file as a record of the baseline prior to performing any treatments. If needed for the area of treatment you are having, anaesthetic is applied, and when you are feeling ready to go ahead, the magic happens!

After your procedure, your nurse will go through the post-procedural instructions and aftercare information, which will also be given to you in paper form to refer back to at home if needed. We are here for any follow-up queries you may have, and if you are concerned at all with anything following your dermal filler treatment, feel free to reach out to the nursing team.

The overall cost of your dermal filler treatment (or treatments) depends on several factors; what your goals and desired outcomes are, your age, the quality of the skin, and other medical and lifestyle factors.

Our clinicians are trained to keep your budget and financial situation in mind when providing treatment planning and quotes, and often will suggest other treatment approaches in order to obtain a better aesthetic outcome with their recommendations. We are here to provide a thorough consult and educate you on all the available options, what they involve, and then hone in on the treatments most relevant and affordable to you. Oftentimes the treatment plan is created, and then executed in stages, staggering the treatments several months apart.

Depending on the area we are treating, your injector may use numbing cream, topically apply some ice, or both. Some clients require an anaesthetic injection to the area before starting the treatment… and some treatment areas are extremely quick and comfortable to have treated without any numbing at all!

While injectable procedures naturally come with slight inherent discomfort, your injector will talk you through how it may feel having each area treated, and ensure you’re very comfortable with this side of the procedure before going ahead.

The dermal fillers used here at Eltham CosmeticClinic all contain anesthetic also, so once administered, a local numbing or tingly sensation can be felt to the area. After the procedure is finished, the treated area may remain numb for 20-30minutes, and when it gradually wears off, slightly tender.

Your injecting nurse will provide you with instructions as to how to care for the treated area, and will ensure all your questions are answered. We do not encourage touching or applying any pressure to treated areas, and if the treated area or any adjacent area of the face is feeling very sore and painful after the treatment, we encourage you to get in touch with the clinic.

Yes, bruising and swelling is a normal outcome with dermal filler procedures. Small needles are required to make multiple punctures through the skin in order to deliver the dermal filler gel to the desired area, which naturally results in the area swelling, and shortly after bruising too. The severity of the swelling varies between clients, and depends on the area of the face or body the filler has been administered to. Generally lips and any treatments around the mouth tend to swell more than others.

Bruising can occur instantly, or can develop gradually over several days following your dermal filler procedure. Again, the severity of the bruising, and the length of time it takes to disappear varies between clients! Fairer skinned clients tend to appear bruised for longer, and some are more prone to bruising in general than others too.

If you regularly take Magnesium, Fish Oil, Krill Oil, Evening Primrose Oil or any similar supplement we recommend stopping them for seven days prior to your treatment. Also prior to your procedure, to minimise bruising as much as possible, we recommend not drinking alcohol for 72 hours prior, and avoiding aspirin and Ibuprofen (i.e. Nurofen) for this period of time too.

If you take blood thinning medication prescribed by your doctor we recommend consulting with them before you stop taking them in order to minimise bruising.

As we strive for a natural result with all of our dermal filler procedures that are in harmony with your existing facial features, it is unlikely anyone would be able to identify that you’ve had dermal fillers… We often hear that friends and family have commented on how ‘fresh’ or ‘rejuvenated’ our client looks; but they can’t quite put their finger on what it is!

The only giveaway signs of having had a dermal filler procedure are those that occur immediately post-treatment, which is the swelling and bruising, and are unfortunately a natural and necessary part of these procedures.

As with any injectable procedure, swelling will occur to the area of treatment and surrounding skin. This happens immediately, and can last between three days to two weeks in some cases. The presence of swelling in the area can exaggerate the results of the treatment and make the area appear more volumized and enhanced than it will be once the swelling has subsided. Swelling is a normal, healthy response to the trauma that the tiny needle punctures have caused.

The exaggerated or projected look the swelling can temporarily give can look less than natural, so we recommend scheduling your dermal filler appointments on a day when you don’t have errands to run or lots of unavoidable social interactions!

Absolutely not.

Here at Eltham Cosmetic Clinic we always prefer the more natural refreshed aesthetic, and strive to simply enhance or rejuvenate your existing beautiful features, not over-exaggerate them. Natural beauty is timeless, discreet, is always in keeping with the natural harmony and symmetry of the face.

With any dermal filler procedure, swelling in the area of treatment and often the surrounding skin is a natural part of the procedure, and is unavoidable. Swelling to the treatment area can temporarily exaggerate the results achieved with the dermal filler, and make it appear fuller or more volumised than it actually will be once the swelling has subsided. While all measures are taken to minimise swelling with ice where suitable, we always encourage our clients to schedule these treatments around social events to allow for healing time.

The overfilled look that we see on social media and occasionally in public, is both deliberate and gradual; achieved with multiple appointments, and with a very large budget! We advocate for natural beauty wherever we can, and our consultations and treatment plans are focused around creating a natural look you will feel confident and happy with.

Many clients who have never had dermal filler treatments before are interested to know if they change their mind, can we remove them again? Although unlikely, the answer is yes!

Dermal fillers can be dissolved with a substance known as hyaluronidase, which is an enzyme that can be injected into the area of the dermal filler, break it down and remove it completely.

Some people have pre-existing medical issues that make them sensitive or even allergic to this substance, for which you will be screened prior to your treatment.

If you have had fillers administered in another clinic and are unhappy with the outcome or wish to have them corrected or removed, please see the FAQ tab titled “My fillers look terrible….” for more information.

Dermal fillers administered at other clinics are best to be corrected by the original injector, mainly because they will know the type of dermal filler used, and the exact location and depth at which the product has been placed within the skin. If you are unhappy with the outcome of a treatment you’ve received somewhere else, then your first port-of-call would be to get in touch with your original injector and arrange to review the results together.

If for whatever reason you are unable to return to your original injector, a consultation is required with our senior injector prior to committing to any future treatment. In this consultation we can examine and assess the treated area, ascertain the problem areas and formulate a treatment plan for correction. The best solution may be to use a prescription enzyme, which is injected into the area the unwanted dermal filler, dissipating the filler*. We then allow the area to rest and heal for 2-3 weeks before reviewing the area and assessing the need for further dissolving.

The cost of the dissolving procedure depends on the size of the area/volume of filler to be removed, and the volume of dissolving enzyme required. Generally one to three treatments performed across separate appointments are required to fully resolve the issue, and sessions are generally priced from $269.

If your dermal fillers were administered outside of Australia (Indonesia, United Kingdom etc) our doctors may deem it unsafe to proceed with further intervention, and refer you to a partner institution for treatment.

The correction and dissolving of dermal fillers requires a consultation with our prescribing doctors; which will take place before going ahead with any corrective treatment here at Eltham Cosmetic Clinic.

*Dermal fillers that are not made of hyaluronic acid are not dissolvable and unfortunately we will not be able to find a resolution for misplaced fillers that are made of other substances. We are unable to find corrective solutions for misplaced filler if you’re not aware of the name of the filler you’ve had injected, so please get in touch with the clinic you originally visited and be sure of the nature of the product you’ve been treated with.