THE middle-aged mental health worker is lying on her back as the first squirt of Botox is injected into her crow's feet. She winces: "It does make your eyes water."

No-nonsense nurse Lisa wields the needle like a quill. "There is a bit of artistry in Botox, in keeping your expression alive," she says.

Belinda gave up smoking almost nine years ago. "I smoked loads and loads of low-nicotine cigarettes," she says.

"You suck the bejesus out of them and get wrinkly lips. "I promised myself I'd get rid of them, as a present."

Five injections dull any feeling before the filler is injected into lines around her mouth. Lisa warns she will look worse before she looks better: "You know what it's like when you just hit your lip on the car door and it just blows up."

Belinda sighs: "The things we go through, hey."

Grace, office worker, 22, rhinoplasty, $13,000

IT'S been four months since she had the bump removed from her nose.

"I've wanted to have it done since I was 15," she says. Dr Moss schedules a followup appointment.

Kath, media worker, 25, breast augmentation, $15,000 "I'VE been wanting to get them done since I was 16," she says eight days after breast augmentation surgery.

The pretty blonde says she didn't hate her A-cup breasts. "They were just small," she says.

Dr Moss inspects his handiwork. "They are sore," Kath admits, "like I've done a huge gym workout.'

Grace, office worker, 22, rhinoplasty, $13,000

IT'S been four months since she had the bump removed from her nose.

"I've wanted to have it done since I was 15," she says. Dr Moss schedules a followup appointment.

Kath, media worker, 25, breast augmentation, $15,000 "I'VE been wanting to get them done since I was 16," she says eight days after breast augmentation surgery.

The pretty blonde says she didn't hate her A-cup breasts. "They were just small," she says.

Dr Moss inspects his handiwork. "They are sore," Kath admits, "like I've done a huge gym workout.'

"The incisions will be almost invisible over time," Dr Moss says of the marks under each breast where the implants have been inserted.

Kath had trouble deciding on her size.

"Chris put a 250ml in one side and a 275ml in the other — he didn't tell which was which, but he noticed I was smiling a bit more when I looked in the mirror looking at the bigger size."

They are still swollen and a little bit shiny, but Dr Moss explains this is normal at this stage of post-surgery.

Rick, video production worker, 46, Botox, $300

"ANGRY face and relax, angry again," Mike says to Rick, trying to gauge which muscles move.

Rick has been coming here for almost two years.

"It was sparked by turning 44 and not feeling as confident as I used to when I look in the mirror.

"I have devil horns — we've tried to get rid of them. They are the ones I obsess over."

Mike reminds him they are caused by him rolling in his sleep and squashing his face.

He gets a squirt of Botox in his right eyebrow and a topup around his eyes.

"I just do whatever he tells me," Rick says. "I'm definitely never going to be the person who gets so much they can't move their face."

Anna, middle-aged wife, initial facelift/necklift and blepharoplasty (eyes) consultation, $500 "THE left-hand side of my face appears to age quicker than the right-hand side," she says.

She wants "an overall refreshed appearance, to erase the deeper lines", and is concerned about "hooding" in her upper eyelids.

She is worried that if she has one part of her face done, the rest of it will need work.

"It's a bit like when you walk through a freshly painted house, but they have forgotten to paint one room."

Dr Moss says the aim is to "get your facial appearance back to where your mind is". They move into a small room and stand in front of a mirror.

"We need to lift your jowl back up on to your cheeks, remove the fat under here with a bit of liposuction, and lift it across here," he says.

"A good facelift is one your friends shouldn't notice."