All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.
An unhurried appointment with Dr Zahraa Hussein, here in general practice. She reviews your history, examines the area, and explains your options, the risks and the cost — with nothing decided on the day.
Non-surgical cosmetic procedures are medical procedures, and are not right for everyone — which is exactly what the consultation is for.
Dr Hussein consults in general practice at Muswellbrook Doctors, and also sees patients privately for cosmetic consultations. It is the same doctor, the same rooms and the same standard of assessment you would expect for anything else you came in about.
A consultation covers your reasons for attending, a review of your medical history, current medicines and allergies, an examination of the relevant area, and a full discussion of the options that exist for it — what each would involve, what it would not achieve, the risks that apply to you specifically, and what it would cost. The option of doing nothing is discussed alongside the others, because for some people it is the right one.
Suitability is decided individually, at the consultation, after that examination. It cannot be assessed over the phone, from a photograph, or from a website. If Dr Hussein does not think a procedure is appropriate for you, she will say so and explain why — and she will tell you what, if anything, would be a better place to start.
To work out whether anything should be done at all — and if so what, with what risks, and at what cost. It is an assessment appointment. No procedure is carried out at it, and you are not asked to make a decision while you are in the room.
Written information about anything that has been proposed, including what it involves and the risks, and a written quote for the cost. If nothing has been proposed, you leave knowing why, and what the alternatives are.
Nothing on this page suggests they need treating. Lines, folds and changes in the face are what faces do over time. This consultation exists for people who have already decided they would like to discuss the options, not to persuade anyone that they should.
If a mole or spot has changed, that is a skin check. If a rash, acne or a skin condition is the concern, that is a standard GP appointment and it is bulk billed. And if how you feel about your appearance is affecting your mood, sleep or daily life, start with a GP — a cosmetic procedure is not the treatment for that, and there is real help available.
The substances used in non-surgical cosmetic procedures are prescription-only medicines. Australian law prohibits advertising prescription medicines to the public, and Ahpra's advertising guidelines prohibit publishing procedure prices in a way that encourages choosing on cost. So this page describes the consultation, not products. Everything can be discussed with you in person.
Concerns Dr Hussein commonly sees at these consultations
The lines across the forehead, between the eyebrows, and at the outer corners of the eyes. The consultation covers what is contributing to them, what the options are and what each would and would not change — and it starts from the position that lines are normal, not a problem needing fixing.
Jaw clenching, teeth grinding and aching or tight facial muscles. These often have causes worth addressing first — stress, sleep, and dental factors — so the assessment includes those, and a dental review is frequently part of the discussion rather than an afterthought.
Sweating well beyond what the situation calls for, which can be genuinely limiting at work and socially. Because it can be a symptom of something else, the assessment checks for underlying medical causes and reviews your medicines before any cosmetic option is discussed.
If you have had a procedure somewhere else and are unsure about the result, or were not given the information you should have been, you can book a consultation to talk it through with a GP and understand what you are looking at.
You do not have to have decided anything. Booking a consultation to ask questions and find out what is actually involved is a legitimate reason to come, and a common one.
Suitability is determined at an individual consultation and nowhere else. Individual responses vary, and the outcome one person has does not indicate what another person would have.
And you would rather ask a doctor than keep reading things on the internet. That is exactly what this appointment is for.
You do not need to. Point at what is bothering you and describe it however it comes out. Working out the names of things is our job, not yours.
It is the single most common thing people say. Say it out loud in the appointment — it genuinely changes the conversation, and sometimes the answer is that nothing is the right call.
You will not be. Nothing happens on the day, there is no sales pitch, and no one here will suggest you should be unhappy with how you look.
Nobody thinks that. It is a medical appointment about something that has been on your mind, which is what a GP appointment is.
Ring and ask. Reception will tell you the consultation fee on the phone, before you commit to anything.
Not beauty treatments. The substances used are prescription-only medicines, which is why a practitioner has to assess you, take a history and prescribe — and why the risks section on this page is as long as it is.
It wears off. Maintaining it means repeating the procedure, and how often varies from person to person. That matters for the decision and for the long-term cost, so it is worth being clear on before the first appointment rather than after.
Individual responses vary, and no honest practitioner will tell you in advance exactly what yours will be. Treat guaranteed outcomes, before-and-after galleries and glowing reviews as a warning sign — testimonials in health service advertising are against the law here.
Every registered practitioner in Australia is on the public Ahpra register, free to search. Ask who will perform the procedure, what their qualifications are, and who to contact afterwards if something goes wrong.
Ahpra's guidelines are built around being informed and not deciding under pressure. Nothing is done at the first appointment — you take the information home and book separately if you want to go ahead. Pressure to decide on the spot, or a discount for doing so, is a reason to walk away.
Non-surgical cosmetic procedures carry real risks. The common effects are bruising, swelling, redness and tenderness; less common but more serious risks include asymmetry, an unintended effect in a nearby muscle, vision changes, infection, and a severe allergic reaction. Any effect is temporary. The full list is below — open each panel to read it — and every point is discussed with you in person, against your own history, before anything is agreed.
Most people return to ordinary activity the same day. You may be asked to avoid strenuous exercise, alcohol, heat and lying flat for a period afterwards, and to avoid rubbing the area. Bruising can take one to two weeks to fade and can be visible at work or at an event in the meantime.
Any effect is temporary and wears off. Repeat procedures would be needed to maintain it, and how often varies from person to person.
If you develop a severe reaction, difficulty breathing or swallowing, vision changes, or spreading pain and swelling, seek urgent medical attention. In an emergency, call 000.
Dr Hussein will not proceed, and may decline at the consultation, if:
Individual responses vary. The outcome experienced by one person does not indicate what another person would experience. Nobody can tell you in advance what your own result would be, and this page makes no claim about what any procedure would achieve for you.
Cosmetic consultations
Dr Zahraa Hussein
Adults only
Privately billed
Risks explained first
No procedure on the day
Individually assessed
Muswellbrook Fair
Cosmetic consultations
Dr Zahraa Hussein
Adults only
Privately billed
Risks explained first
No procedure on the day
Individually assessed
Muswellbrook Fair
Cosmetic consultations
Dr Zahraa Hussein
Adults only
Privately billed
Risks explained first
No procedure on the day
Individually assessed
Muswellbrook Fair
Fees, consent, cancellations and how to raise a concern — collected here rather than scattered through the page, so you can find them when you need them.
You talk through what has been bothering you, Dr Hussein reviews your medical history, medicines and allergies, examines the relevant area, and then explains the options that exist for it — including the option of doing nothing. You leave with written information and a written quote if anything is proposed. No procedure is carried out at that appointment.
No. The first appointment is an assessment and a discussion. If a procedure is appropriate and you decide to go ahead, that is booked as a separate visit so you have time to think.
No. Phone reception and ask for a cosmetic consultation with Dr Hussein.
Approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
No. Cosmetic consultations are a private service with the fee payable on the day. Your ordinary GP appointments at the practice remain bulk billed.
Reception confirms the consultation fee when you book, so you know it before you come in. If anything further is proposed at the consultation, it is quoted to you individually and in writing before you commit to it. You are never asked to decide on the day.
No. Suitability depends on an examination and your medical history, so it can only be assessed in person. It cannot be judged from a photograph or from a website.
She will explain why. Declining to proceed is a normal outcome and does not affect your care at the practice in any way.
Yes. These consultations are for adults only. We do not provide cosmetic procedures to anyone under 18.
Because Australian law does not allow it. The substances used in non-surgical cosmetic procedures are prescription-only medicines, and the Therapeutic Goods Act prohibits advertising prescription medicines to the public — by brand, ingredient, nickname or hashtag. Ahpra's advertising guidelines also prohibit publishing procedure prices in a way that encourages people to choose on cost. Any clinic that does name products or advertise procedure prices is not following those rules. What can be discussed with you, in person, is everything.
No. Effects from non-surgical cosmetic procedures are temporary and wear off. Repeat procedures would be needed to maintain any effect, and how often varies from person to person. That is part of what is discussed at the consultation, because it affects the long-term cost as well as the decision.
Her Ahpra registration number is MED0002772704. Anyone can look up a registered health practitioner, free, on the public register at ahpra.gov.au — it shows their registration type, conditions and standing. It is worth doing for any practitioner, anywhere, before a cosmetic procedure.
That is expected, and it is why nothing is done on the day. You can decide not to proceed at any point, including after you have consented, and it will not affect your care at the practice.
In the 'What to expect' section on this page. It sets out the common effects, the less common risks, recovery, and the situations where a procedure would not be appropriate.
General information only This page is general health information for adults. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. Non-surgical cosmetic procedures are medical procedures and carry risks and possible side effects. A consultation with Dr Hussein is required to determine suitability. Individual outcomes vary. In an emergency, call 000. To raise a concern, speak to our practice manager on (02) 6530 7404, or contact the Health Care Complaints Commission on 1800 043 159 or Ahpra on 1300 419 495 at any time.Last reviewed 2 September 2026.
Ring reception and ask for a cosmetic consultation. The fee and the appointment length are confirmed when you book. You can come simply to ask questions — nothing is carried out on the day. Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.
Reading up first? What to expect → · Practical details →