An initial virtual consultation cost $340. You can not claim from Medicare if the consultation is deemed ‘cosmetic’. Reception can guide you through the referral process.

Any additional procedures will incur a charge. The cost depends on the procedure itself. As a rule, simple procedures such as injections, pigment or vascular lasers can be conducted on the day. More complex procedures that require sedation require an operating theatre booking & time slot.

A typical consultation takes 20 – 30 minutes. This includes documentation, examination, diagnosis & a treatment plan. My consults are old fashioned, namely I take the history & perform the examination.

I provide a treatment plan however for simple cases including melasma & management of pigmentation, my nurses may take over your case. I make it a point to give the appropriate time, based upon the complexity of the presentation.

For acne & acne scar patients. Virtual acne consultations are designed to give patients a clear strategic pathway to manage acne. During this consultation I will cover all aspects of acne including home options such as topicals, skin care, diet & ancillary treatments such as LED sources, through to prescriptive medications for acne. The recommendations will be algorithm based & expressed as a probability of a program working for you as I take into consideration your clinical picture. Learn more here.

A physical examination is best before any procedural work, this includes acne scars, skin rejuvenation & pigmentation disorders.

In some cases, yes. It really comes down to the diagnosis & the complexity of the treatment. For example, I can treat rosacea on the same day, as well as perform most injectables including hydrating treatments & Prescription only medication that can only be discussed in a medical consultation as per TGA guidelines.

I require a theater booking for most cases of acne scarring (surgical). I also require sedation for most of my laser-surgical cases.

For the most part, yes. I normally build catch up gaps in my consultation list to ensure that I am on time. Several caveats as to why I occasionally run late. Most commonly-

• If someone before you runs late this has a flow on effect. Say if 3 people in the afternoon list run 8 minutes late each, the last patient on this list may need to wait 25 minutes longer. Catch up gaps can reduce, but not eliminate this.
• Complex cases. I give adequate time for a good history & examination pertaining to each patient. Simple cases may take 5 minutes, complex cases may take 30 minutes.
• I also have a consultation list following a procedure list. This keeps me fresh for procedures (which is the majority of my work). Occasionally I may require more time for an operation. An example I may run overtime because I have to control an arterial bleed, or because a patient requires more sutures.

Let’s face it, there are many different types of personalities, ranging from normal (most of my patients), to borderline, narcissistic & even psychopathic – manipulative traits (minority). I also need to factor my personality traits. 

I am– focused on problem solving, focused on solutions for difficult problems, not solutions for difficult patients. I will provide a treatment plan without the BS, nor the upsell.

I am not– a hand holder, I listen to solve problems & to provide excellent outcomes, but counselling is not one of my strengths. If I elect not to perform a procedure, it is because I believe that it would not benefit you.

I do not have the skill sets for the management of body dysmorphic disorders & will refer to other professionals who can effectively treat this complex condition.