Why more people are now “bundling” cosmetic treatments

It’s a fact that we’re filling, freezing, plumping and lasering our faces more than ever before. According to the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine, Australians spend more than $1 billion each year on cosmetic procedures. Part of this uptick can be blamed on our faces constantly being “on screen”, whether via social media, taking selfies or greeting our colleagues on Zoom.

The increase in procedures has led to a new beauty buzz word, “bundling”. This refers to having a number of procedures at once under one anaesthetic to curtail costs and reduce time spent under anaesthesia. An example would be having a facelift, eyelid surgery and brow and neck lift in one fell swoop.

American cosmetic surgeon Dr Richard Westreich adds a word of caution about this practice though. “Don’t rush into something just because it’s easy or convenient,” he says. “Virtual consults have streamlined the process and tightened the time line between concept and completion, but my advice to people is to go back to the mindset before the Zoom boom as there is no substitute for face-to-face consultation.”

If going under the knife isn’t appealing, specialists such as Sydney’s Dr Joseph Hkeik at All Saints Clinic are also offering clients a range of non-invasive treatments as a bundle (in Melbourne, try Dr Gavin Chan at The Victorian Cosmetic Institute).

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Hkeik says a full-face treatment starts from $2500 and could involve, for example, an anti-wrinkle injectable, Xeomin, to open up eyes, raise brows and get rid of horizontal forehead lines, frown lines and crow’s-feet. At the same time, a patient might have cheek augmentation using the filler Teoxane RHA “to make the lower face look slimmer”, he explains. And if a sharpened jaw line is desired, this can be combined with adding another filler, Teoxane Ultra Deep.

If lip rejuvenation, such as defining a Cupid’s bow and contouring, is also on the list, then Teoxane RHA 3 filler can be used after a swipe of anaesthetic gel to numb the lip. The biggest upside to a bundled procedure like this is that it’s just one appointment and can take as little as 40 minutes – quick enough to squeeze into a lunch break.

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