Dermal Filler Consultations
Dermal fillers are prescription-only medical devices used to support facial volume, structure, and balance. At MARA.H, every plan begins with a consultation with Dr Jenn Lee, an Ahpra Registered Practitioner (General Registration MED0002666421) — filler is anatomy-dependent work, and the quality of the assessment shapes the quality of the outcome.
Book a ConsultationOur approach is subtle and balance-focused. The goal is harmony, not transformation. If your face looks “done”, we haven’t done our job properly.
What Happens at a Consultation
A filler consultation at MARA.H is a structured medical appointment:
- Medical history review — reviewing medications, health factors, and prior treatments.
- Facial assessment — evaluating proportions, volume, symmetry, skin quality, and movement.
- Discussion of goals — what you’d like to improve and what you’d like to preserve.
- Explanation of options — including suitable treatments, alternatives, or no treatment.
- Written treatment plan — itemised, completely transparent, with no hidden surprises.
Areas Commonly Discussed
A comprehensive facial anatomy assessment may include discussion of:
- Cheek and mid-face structural support.
- Chin and jawline definition.
- Lip shape, symmetry, and proportion.
- Nasolabial area and marionette support.
- Under-eye region, where determined safe and appropriate.
- Overall facial harmony and balancing.
Specific products and technical details are reserved for the individual consultation, in line with Australian advertising regulations.
Safety, Risks and Aftercare
Filler treatment carries medical risks that are explained in full during your appointment. Most patients experience some mild swelling, tenderness, or possible bruising for several days. Treatment may not be appropriate if you:
Risks, Recovery and Suitability
What most people experience
Swelling and tenderness in the treated area for the first few days, and firmness that softens over one to two weeks. Bruising is common and can appear a day or two after treatment; around the lips and under the eyes it is more visible and takes longer to clear. Lips in particular swell noticeably in the first 24 to 48 hours, and what you see on the day is not the result.
Less common risks you should know about
Firm lumps or visible irregularity can persist and may need review. Product can move from where it was placed, and under thin skin it can show as a bluish tinge. Infection at an injection site is possible, and nodules can appear weeks or months later, sometimes triggered by illness, vaccination or dental work. The serious risk is product entering or pressing on a blood vessel, which can cut off blood supply — this can cause the overlying skin to break down and scar and, rarely, permanent changes to vision. It is uncommon, it is why we ask about previous filler and about your medical history, and it is why we treat sudden pain or colour change as urgent. Careful technique reduces these risks rather than removing them.
Recovery and what it affects
Plan around bruising and swelling rather than assuming there will be none, and allow two weeks before an event rather than two days. The detailed timings — exercise, heat, alcohol, sleeping position, dental appointments — are set out in the aftercare section below, and your therapist’s instructions on the day take priority over any general guide.
Results and responses vary
How much change you see depends on your facial structure, skin thickness and quality, how much volume has been lost, and how your body breaks the product down. How long it lasts varies between people, between products and between areas of the face — the same product placed in two different areas will not last the same time. Some people need a review to adjust, and where the underlying issue is skin laxity rather than lost volume, adding filler will not address it.
When this isn’t suitable, or needs assessment first
Dermal filler is not appropriate during pregnancy or breastfeeding, over active infection or inflamed skin in the treatment area, or where you have a known allergy to a product component. Autoimmune conditions, a bleeding disorder or ongoing blood-thinning medication, recent or upcoming dental work, previous filler placed elsewhere, a history of keloid scarring, and a history of cold sores where the lips are being treated all mean we assess before proceeding. Prescription injectable treatments at MARA.H follow consultation with Dr Jenn Lee, an Ahpra Registered Practitioner (General Registration MED0002666421), and suitability is decided at that consultation rather than before it.
If something doesn’t seem right
Call the clinic on 0468 358 861. Pain that is out of proportion or increasing, skin that turns white, dusky, mottled or blotchy, any change in vision, spreading redness, discharge or fever should be treated as urgent rather than waited out. If it is severe or you are worried, contact your GP or call 000.
After your dermal filler treatment
On the day
A cold compress can be used as needed through the first 24 hours — wrap the ice pack in a clean cloth rather than putting it straight on the skin. It helps with swelling and bruising. Skip alcohol for the first 24 hours; it adds to both. Sleep with your head raised, either on an extra pillow or propped up.
Days 2 to 7
Swelling can show up immediately or over the following hours and can last from several days to about a week. Bruising usually clears within one to two weeks. Redness lasts a few hours to two days and tenderness a few days. Itching or a feeling of tightness is common. You may feel unevenness early on — that generally improves as the product settles. A bluish tone occasionally appears and fades as the bruising does.
Avoid throughout the recovery period
Do not touch, press, rub or massage the treated area for two weeks — it can move the product out of position. Cut back on vigorous exercise and anything that increases blood flow to the face for 24 to 48 hours. Keep away from saunas, hot baths and steam rooms for 48 hours. No alcohol for the first 24 hours.
Sun protection
SPF50+ every day for the first two weeks, reapplied every two hours when you are outdoors, with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. Hyaluronic acid products help with hydration and can be used as part of your usual routine.
When you can resume
| Activity | When |
|---|---|
| Cold compress, wrapped in a clean cloth | As needed through the first 24 hours |
| Alcohol | After 24 hours |
| Vigorous exercise, or anything that raises facial blood flow | After 24 to 48 hours |
| Sauna, hot baths, steam rooms | After 48 hours |
| Touching, pressing, rubbing or massaging the area | After 2 weeks |
| Sleeping flat rather than with your head raised | Once swelling has settled |
| Review appointment | At the time your practitioner books for you |
Call us if
Infection, allergic reaction and vascular occlusion are uncommon, but they do happen. Severe pain, marked swelling, skin that changes colour, or anything that worries you should be looked at straight away rather than waited out. Call the clinic on 0468 358 861. If it is severe or outside opening hours, contact your GP or call 000.
One more thing
Your treating practitioner will give you instructions based on how you actually responded on the day. Those take priority over this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
This page provides general information only and does not constitute medical advice or advertising for prescription-only treatments. Specific treatment options are discussed in detail during an individual consultation, in line with TGA and Ahpra guidelines. All treatments require assessment of medical suitability and carry risks that are explained at consultation.
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