Latest News

PIP Breast Implant Recall

Absolute Cosmetic Medicine would like to reassure our patients that we have at no time used Polytech PIP (Poly Implant Prosthese) implants for our Breast Augmentation procedures.

If you have any queries regarding the type of implants used at Absolute, please do not hesitate to contact the clinic on (08) 9389 9099.

For full details regarding the recall of the Polytech implants, please read the press release below:

Polytech Press Release (204 KB)

Lay Buy payment plans now available

Finance your cosmetic surgery procedure affordably with our new Lay Buy payment plan option. Contact the clinic on 9389 9099 to discuss our flexible range of payment options, or visit our Finance page.

New country clinic locations opening soon!

Absolute Cosmetic Medicine is pleased to announce that we will soon be launching our clinic at two exciting new locations in Broome and Albany. To celebrate the opening of these two new clinics, we will be offering exclusive specials on some of your favourite cosmetic treatments such as wrinkle relaxers and wrinkle fillers.

Albany Clinic

Clinic Location:

Glow Experience

366 Middleton Loop, Albany

Contact Absolute Cosmetic Medicine on (08) 9389 9099 for bookings

Broome Clinic

Clinic Location:

Sheree's Health & Beauty

7/19 Dampier Tce, Broome

Contact Absolute Cosmetic Medicine on (08) 9389 9099 for bookings

NEW Clear & Brilliant treatment now available at Absolute

The exciting new Clear & Brilliant utilizes the anti-ageing properties of Fraxel laser technology to reduce the appearance of sun damage, uneven skin tone, and ageing. The Clear & Brilliant treatment will be available for Absolute Cosmetic Medicine city and country patients from mid October.

To find out more about the Clear & Brilliant treatment, contact the clinic today or click here to visit the webpage.

NEW Applecross Clinic Now Open!

Absolute Cosmetic Medicine is pleased to announce the opening of our new Applecross Boutique Cosmetic Medical Clinic. Conveniently located on 789 Canning Highway in Applecross, our new clinic offers the same high standard cosmetic medical treatment and care to patients south of the river.

For bookings, opening specials, and clinic details contact 08 9364 1884 or email reception@absolutecosmetic.com.au

New Botox trial may bring relief to asthma sufferers

The Monash Institute of Medical Reasearch currently leading the way in asthma research with a new world-first trial being launched into the benefits of Botox in the treatment of severe asthma.

The trial involves injecting botulinum toxin into the vocal cords of asthma sufferers in order to selectively paralyse and relax the voice box muscles which become constricted during an asthma attack.

If successful, this new treatment could significantly help up to 250,000 Australians who suffer from severe asthma.

>> Click here to read the full article from the Herald Sun

Buyers Beware!

Don't buy cheap inexperienced rubbish.Two areas of Botox should be two standard areas, and the real thing is Botox, not a cheap substitute!

Fifty units of the cheaper alternative is not equivlent to 50 Botox units, it is one third the strength. Remember if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is!

Thailand Surgery Gone Wrong

We have all seen or heard the hype regarding so called 'cosmetic surgery holidays' that entice people to travel to exotic locations for cosmetic surgery procedures offered at a fraction of the cost of most reputable western clinics. What most people are unaware of however, are the dangers associated with traveling to countries where the practice of cosmetic surgery remains largely unregulated.

The following story is a true account of a patient who experienced the adverse outcomes of such surgery first hand. It is our goal that this patients experience will help to educate the cosmetic surgery community on the very real risks associated with cosmetic surgery tourism.

Please be aware that in order to maintain confidentiality, all names in the following story have been changed.

Good Afternoon Dr,

Thank you so very much for taking my call, I understand you probably have a lot of calls like mine who have had procedures overseas, and I can definitely say “Lesson Learnt” and never again....

Details of the surgery:

I went through a company which was recommended to me by one of my work colleagues; the Director of the company is Australian and is based in Australia.

The procedures I had booked were:

Breast Augmentation – Which I was told I needed a breast lift & Augmentation
Liposuction – Waist, Tummy and inner & outer thighs

Cost:

$12,300.00 (AUD) – without flights and accommodation (not really that cheap and it ended up costing me more in the long run, especially seeing I have to have corrective surgery)

My surgery was scheduled on the Monday, my consultation with Dr A was long and detailed however my consultation with Dr B, was for 5 minutes and I never got to see him before the surgery..... When I woke up from the surgery I had noticed my breasts had not been done, the reason being, Dr B had taken 11 litres (3 from the waist & 4 litres from each leg) during the surgery I had 2 blood transfusions and during the 5 days I spent recovering in the hospital I had another 4, Dr B advised if I had the breast implants as well as the liposuction, I would probably be dead..... Dr A was going to go ahead with the breast implants 4 days later, but I decided not to go ahead and cancelled.

On the Friday I was discharged from Hospital, where I spent the next 4 days recovering in my hotel room, I did get to walk around a bit but each day I noticed my legs getting bigger and my ankles and feet were completely swollen to the point where you wouldn’t have even noticed I was wiggling my toes....

I had a follow up consultation with Dr B the following week and he noticed how swollen my legs, feet & ankles were but advised all I needed to do was take anti-inflammatories and I would be okay, in time my legs will get better, he prescribed me with more pain medication, anti-inflammatories and vitamins (Folic acid & Vitamin B Complex).

I flew back to Australia on an 8 hour flight from Asia to Perth 11 days after my surgery, I was due to return to work the following week, but my legs were still very large, warm and sore and I decided to see a GP at a Perth after hours clinic, he was very shocked to see how my legs were looking after the surgery, he gave me an injection (sorry I don’t remember what it is called, but he told me it would be very painful, and it was), and if that didn’t help I should go straight to hospital.....I went to Hospital the next morning and was admitted that night. The Dr’s did an ultrasound on my legs to see if I had DVT, but they later advised that I did not have DVT but I did have multiple Hematoma’s in my inner thighs and back of my thighs.......The Dr’s gave me antibiotics (liquid form) and blood thinning injections twice a day, I did try to contact the hospital to get the information, but they are unfortunately unable to give that to me over the phone.

I had a follow up appointment with one of the Dr’s at the Hospital and he told me that everything appeared to be looking allot better and that I was allowed to fly back to work.

I left the Hospital in Perth on a Friday and returned to work the following day.

Since flying back to work, I had to take 1 week of oral antibiotics, I can email you the name of them tomorrow, I don’t have them with me at the moment, the feeling I feel in my legs is hard to explain but I hope I make sense....Sore when I walk, sit & stand, constant soreness. Tight underneath the skin from the top of my knee to the top of my thigh.... My legs swell throughout the day, but by morning, they are not so swollen, but still really sore and have the tight feeling....

It has been almost 5 weeks since my surgery and I feel no pain or uncomfortableness from the liposuction done on my waist, but I can no longer handle the pain and feeling in my legs / thighs, I thought that when I got back to Australia the size of my legs was a normal process of recovering from liposuction, but then I found out I had hematoma’s, so I am hoping this is not another thing like that....

I am wearing a compression garment that goes from my feet right up to the top of my waist all day & night.....

I will also email you the latest email from Hospital and also a reply from the surgeon in regards to his procedure...

I can’t thank you enough, I appreciate you taking my call and hopefully giving me piece of mind, I have the support of all the other girls in the office if I need to come to Perth, I can absolutely do that....

Regards,

Jane

Comment

This patient nearly died from the surgery (11 litres in one day is considered too much by most experienced surgeons) from the flight afterwards and lack of follow up care. Her result is shocking, she is in chronic pain and she is open to transfusion related viruses including Hepatitis B, C, and HIV. The third world has an extremely high rate of these infections!

It is impossible to have complete western style medical care for this price. Is your life worth only $2000 or $3000?

If you have to be careful drinking the water there, why would you have surgery there?

CoolSculpt™ has arrived at Absolute!

As seen recently on Today Tonight, this new non-invasive method of body sculpting offers a quick, effective and affordable alternative for those seeking non-surgical treatment options for fat reduction.

Based on the principle of Cryolipolysis, the CoolSculpt™ utilizes a controlled cooling system to selectively freeze fat cells, which are capable of being destroyed at low temperatures without damage to surrounding skin tissue and blood vessels. Once frozen, the dead fat cells are flushed out of the body naturally over a number of weeks.

The CoolSculpt™ treatment is ideal for those at a stable weight with small to moderate areas of stubborn fat resistant to diet and exercise. The procedure also offers a quick, effective and affordable treatment option with minimal associated discomfort and downtime for those seeking non-invasive alternatives to surgery.

For more information on the CoolSculpt™ treatment or to find out if you are a suitable candidate, contact Absolute Cosmetic Medicine on 9389 9099 to arrange a complimentary consultation.

Click here to view the CoolSculpt™ procedure as performed on Today Tonight.

Superbug danger for surgery patients

AMY CORDEROY, SMH
August 12, 2010

Australians who travel overseas for cheap plastic surgery risk picking up new drug-resistant bacteria and spreading the bugs when they return home, infectious disease experts say.

Already one case has been reported of a plastic surgery patient who returned to Australia with an extremely antibiotic-resistant bug. Research published yesterday in the prestigious medical journalThe Lancet indicated it is a growing problem among British plastic surgery patients who have visited India and Pakistan.

Many hospital infections that were already difficult to treat because of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become even more impervious to drugs thanks to a recently discovered gene that can jump across different species of bacteria.

The NDM-1 gene was first identified last year and bacteria with it are even resistant to carbapenems, a group of antibiotics used as a last resort for multi-drug resistant bugs.

Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases expert at the Australian National University, said medical tourism was a ''big problem''.
Last month he published a letter in the Medical Journal of Australia about a Canberra man in his mid 50s who picked up the drug-resistant bugs after undergoing plastic surgery in India. It took the man two months to rid himself of the bacteria.

But people simply travelling in countries such as India, Pakistan or China were also at risk of picking up the bugs. "For most people it makes no difference and they will clear the bacteria from their body naturally. But if they get sick … these bugs are very difficult to treat," he said.

The bacteria may come into Australia through the importation of foods such as poultry that had been fed last resort antibiotics, Mr Collignon said.

Russell Knudsen, the president of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, said cosmetic surgery was a service not a product, and people considering it should not choose their doctor based on price alone.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/superbug-danger-for-surgery-patients-20100811-11zqd.html

Raid ends party for Cairns Wrinkle Relaxer nurse

Premises believed to have been used for illegal Wrinkle Relaxer product parties have been raided by police and health officials in Cairns.

The raid by officers from the Health Quality and Complaints Commission and police took place earlier this week.

It follows allegations of a registered nurse illegally administering cosmetic injections to people during Wrinkle Relaxer parties and at other times.

Commission chief executive officer Cheryl Herbert said the commission, in conjunction with the Queensland Nursing Council, was investigating allegations surrounding the administration of cosmetic injections in Cairns.

"As part of our investigation the HQCC executed a search warrant on a Cairns property this week," she said.

Ms Herbert said investigations were continuing and the officers had yet to determine how many people were involved.

She said the commission was acting on complaints to the QNC.

Members of the commission's investigations unit started investigating the complaints about three weeks ago.

"We will continue to gather and analyse evidence to inform our investigation," Ms Herbert said.

"This will determine whether there are any matters to be prosecuted by the QNC," she said.

The investigation was prompted after advertisements about cheap wrinkle treatments started appearing in The Cairns Post, offering prices of $10 a unit and $20 a collagen unit with free consultations.

After complaints to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the advertisements were changed to read "cosmetic injections".

The last advertisements appeared late last month. There were no answers to the numbers called yesterday by The Weekend Post.

A doctor, who asked not to be named, said he believed the nurse had hosted the parties to sell and administer the injections.

He said there were concerns how she had obtained the drug, what qualifications she had to administer the injections and under whose supervision.

The doctor said this wrinkle relaxer product could only be supplied to a doctor and could be administered by a qualified nurse, but under the supervision of a doctor.

"She either obtained it from a doctor or has bought it overseas and imported it, the latter of which I think has happened," he said.

The doctor said he had alerted authorities and The Cairns Post to the advertisements of the wrinkle relaxer products.

He said under TGA guidelines it was not permitted to advertise the commonly know wrinkle relaxer and hence the change of the wording of the advertisements.

The doctor said he spoke to the manufacturer Allergan which had no record of supplying the drug to the nurse.

"One of my patients has been to her, that's how we found out," he said.

"At least one consumer has had some adverse outcome from the treatment."

The doctor said one of his nurses had been interviewed by the an investigator.

"This treatment is safe but it needs to be given under the correct circumstances and under trained and medical supervision," he said.