Drfi.explains

Drfi.explains Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Drfi.explains, Medical and health, Melbourne.

Evidence-based education in:
• Facial Anatomy
• Skin Science
• Cosmetic Medicine
• Aesthetic Treatments
• Medical Research
Created by Dr Fiona Wee | Medical Doctor

16/08/2026

Does one side of your face always feel more sensitive during injections?

You’re not imagining the pain, but it may not be because your left or right side is “weaker.”

There’s an older pain theory suggesting the left side of the body might hurt more because of how the right brain processes emotion. It sounds plausible, but when researchers looked at facial pain specifically, they didn’t find a significant left-versus-right difference.

What often matters more is order!

The second side can feel sharper because your brain has already experienced the first pinch and starts anticipating the next one. This is called nocebo hyperalgesia: expectation can amplify pain through real, measurable neural pathways.

So no, it’s not “all in your head” in the dismissive sense. Your brain and nervous system can change how strongly pain signals feel.

13/08/2026

Cal is back for Part 8, and this one sounds like it should be terrifying.

The object: a rebound tonometer.

It measures eye pressure using a tiny lightweight probe that gently taps the surface of the eye and bounces back.

Sounds awful.

Feels much less dramatic.

For most people, it’s quick and not painful. It’s commonly used to help check intraocular pressure, which is one part of assessing eye health and conditions such as glaucoma.

Important bit: eye pressure is only one part of the picture. If you’ve got concerns, speak with an optometrist, ophthalmologist, or clinician who can assess you properly.

General education only, not personal medical advice.

Would you have guessed what this was?

11/08/2026

You can notice forehead shape before you consciously realise what you’re seeing.

This is Episode 3 of Features with Fi!

Which profile looks more feminine?

Most people choose the profile with the smoother brow ridge and rounder forehead. The key detail? The only difference is the forehead shape.

This isn’t about one forehead being better than another. It’s about anatomy, hormones and how quickly the brain reads facial cues.

During puberty, testosterone thickens the brow bone and helps the frontal sinus grow forward. That can create a straighter forehead with a heavier brow ridge.

Oestrogen is associated with smoother bone, less brow projection and a rounder forehead contour.

Studies show people can identify masculine and feminine facial cues in a fraction of a second, sometimes from the brow ridge and forehead area alone.

That’s one reason forehead recontouring can be an important part of facial feminisation surgery for some people. Not because everyone needs it, but because this area can strongly influence how a face is perceived.

This is general education, not personal medical advice.

Follow Drfi.explains for more facial anatomy and aesthetic medicine education. Next episode: how facial symmetry affects attractiveness.

09/08/2026

Part 7 of My Non Medical Husband Guesses Weird Medical Things!

Today’s mystery object: Medicinal Leeches.

Cal knew they were leeches! Full points for that ✅

But when it came to what they’re used for? We got very close to “sucking out bad blood”.

Historically, leeches have a reputation for that. Modern medicine uses them in a much more specific way.

Medicinal leeches can help in certain surgical settings, especially after reconstructive or microsurgery when venous congestion becomes a problem.

In plain English: blood can get into the tissue through arteries, but sometimes it struggles to drain back out through veins. Leeches can help remove that pooled venous blood while the body forms new drainage pathways.

Their saliva also contains substances, including anticoagulants, that can help blood keep flowing.

So no, it’s not “bad blood”. It’s controlled, specific, supervised medicine.

They’re used under strict medical supervision, not as a DIY historical throwback.

This is general education, not personal medical advice.

Would you have guessed the modern medical reason?

06/08/2026

Ozempic exists partly because scientists paid attention to a lizard’s venom.

Your body makes GLP-1 after you eat. It helps release insulin and signals fullness, which is why scientists were interested in it for diabetes treatment back in the 1980s.

The problem? Human GLP-1 gets broken down in about 2 minutes.

Then in 1992, Dr John Eng studied the Gila monster, a desert lizard that eats rarely but keeps stable blood sugar.

He found exendin-4 in its venom.

Exendin-4 acts on the same GLP-1 receptor. It helps boost insulin, slows digestion and reduces appetite. But unlike human GLP-1, it resists fast breakdown, so it lasts for hours.

That became exenatide, the first approved GLP-1 drug.

Ozempic isn’t lizard venom, but the GLP-1 drug story does trace back to this desert lizard.

Educational only, not personal medical advice.

Send this to someone on Ozempic who didn’t know a lizard was involved. Follow for the next GLP-1 face explainer.

03/08/2026

Cal is back for Part 6 of My Non Medical Husband Guesses Weird Medical Things, and this one is not for the squeamish!

The object: medical sterile maggots.

His guess that they were maggots? Correct.

His reaction to their actual medical purpose? Pure horror.

Sterile medical maggots can be used in supervised wound care to help remove dead tissue from certain wounds. In plain English, they can help clean up tissue that shouldn’t be there, while leaving healthy tissue largely alone.

It’s called maggot debridement therapy, and yes, it sounds awful. But in the right setting, it can be a carefully controlled medical tool.

General education only, not personal medical advice.

Would you cope better than Cal?

30/07/2026

Welcome to Dr Fiona Wee 👋
I’m Fiona, Dr Fi, and I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself.

Less than a year ago, I left what I thought was my dream career in plastic surgery 👩🏻‍⚕️

Not because I stopped loving medicine. Because life changed, and several people in my family became seriously unwell.

At the time, I felt like I’d failed. I had no plan. I didn’t know what came next.

I eventually found aesthetic medicine, but I also found a lot of marketing, bold claims, and confusion around what’s backed by science.

That’s why I started this page!

Not to sell you treatments. To help you understand them, explain the science, and cut through the hype so you can make informed decisions.

If you’re curious about aesthetic medicine, or your life has taken an unexpected turn too, I’d love to have you here part of this journey!

28/07/2026

Part 5 of My Non Medical Husband Guesses Weird Medical Things.

Today’s mystery object: a leadless pacemaker.

Cal’s guess? Something far more action-packed. Think harpoonometry. Possibly a tiny medical harpoon. Very dramatic. Not correct.

The real answer: it’s a leadless pacemaker. In plain English, it’s a small pacemaker placed inside the heart to help regulate heart rhythm, without the traditional wires or leads used in standard pacemakers.

Medical devices can look intense when they’re out of context. Cal went full action movie. Medicine went much more precise.

Comment what you’d like Cal to guess next, or the weirdest medical device you’ve come across.

26/07/2026

Is your collagen supplement helping your skin, or is it expensive protein with good marketing? 🤔

This is part 4 of the Collagen Series!

Let’s look past the claims and look at the science.

A major systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 randomised controlled trials found that taking 2.5g to 10g of hydrolysed collagen peptides daily for 8 to 12 weeks was associated with statistically significant improvements in skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkles.

The theory is that collagen peptides may provide building blocks and signalling to fibroblasts, the cells that help produce collagen in your skin.

The catch: many collagen studies are industry-funded. A newer review found that when only non-industry-funded studies were isolated, the measurable benefits disappeared.

Industry funding doesn’t automatically make a study wrong. It does mean we should interpret bold supplement claims carefully.

My verdict: hydrolysed collagen, at a minimum of around 2.5g daily, may help skin slightly for some people. But the evidence isn’t strong enough to justify spending lots of money or believing exaggerated claims.

General education only, not personal medical advice.

Save this if you’re trying to make sense of collagen supplements.

23/07/2026

What was your guess? 🤔 Part 4 of My Non Medical Husband Guesses Weird Medical Things!

Today’s mystery object: this slightly obscene-looking tube.

Cal’s guess? He knew it had something to do with the throat, so honestly, points for being on the ball 🏆

The real answer: it’s a tracheostomy tube. In plain English, this helps create or maintain an airway through an opening in the neck and trachea when someone needs help breathing.

Medical objects can look strange when they’re out of context. That’s why we explain them properly, without the panic 😂

Stay tuned for the next part of the Collagen Series, and follow Drfi.explains to keep updated on helpful medical and medical aesthetic info.

What was your guess? Comment down below!

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