From 1 July 2023, patients in Australia seeking cosmetic surgery will need a GP referral, while cosmetic surgeons must meet new practice guidelines and tougher advertising rules under new regulations designed to reduce risks.

The reforms, mandated by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), should ensure safter care for patients, said MBA chair Dr Anne Tonkin. “We’ve delivered a reform package that raises standards and increases safety measures to stop patients being exploited and reduce the risk of harm.” 

The updated advertising guidelines include the banning of testimonial use, discount offers without terms and conditions and creating unreasonable expectations of treatment. Advertising must also be identified as adult content, videos and images must not be sexualised or include gratuitous nudity and the use of negative body language is forbidden. “Young people are particularly vulnerable to cosmetic procedure advertising, so these changes will contribute to protecting them from exposure to advertising that is known to impact their self-esteem,” said Michael Fraser of Australian advocacy group Operation Redress.

Australian health politicians also approved a new registration standard for cosmetic surgery to help ensure patients know who is properly trained and qualified, including restricting the use of the title ‘surgeon’ to medical practitioners holding a specialist registration, such as ophthalmology, and ensuring and noting publicly if a doctor has met cosmetic surgery standards set by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and the MBA.

“Creating an endorsement is the strongest regulatory tool in our kit,” said Dr Tonkin. “Without it, patients will be no better informed than they are now and the opportunity to clean up the cosmetic industry will be lost.”

For more, see www.medicalboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Policies/Cosmetic-medical-and-surgical-procedures-guidelines.aspx