The Medical Board of Australia has announced a “suite of measures to better protect patients having cosmetic surgery” which will take effect from 1 July 2023.
The Medical Board and Ahpra commissioned an Independent review of the regulation of medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery following media reports that revealed “serious patient safety concerns including hygiene breaches, poor patient care, unsatisfactory surgical outcomes, and aggressive and inappropriate advertising”.
This package of reforms “delivers on many of the recommendations of the review” and includes 3 key components.
1: Revised guidelines for medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures
The reforms apply to doctors practising in two areas:
- cosmetic surgery (involves cutting beneath the skin – including breast augmentation, facelifts and liposuction); and
- non-surgical cosmetic procedures (which may pierce the skin but don’t cut beneath it, such as injectables, thread lifts and laser treatments).
Under the reforms, patients seeking cosmetic surgery will need a referral from their GP.
This new measure “adds a layer of protection for patients, who will in future be able to discuss their motivation for cosmetic surgery with their GP, who has the best knowledge of their medical history and can share this with the doctor being referred to”.
The Board does not expect GPs to have a “detailed knowledge of cosmetic procedures or to seek the patient’s informed consent for cosmetic procedures they are not personally providing”.
Other changes in the revised and strengthened Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures include:
- higher standards for cosmetic surgery premises, with accreditation against Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) standards, required for cosmetic surgery premises from 1 July 2023;
- improved patient assessment by practitioners before surgery, including more scrutiny for signs of body dysmorphic disorder.
2: New advertising guidelines specific to cosmetic surgery
The new guidelines, with “a strong focus on online and social media advertising”, are in addition to the existing code of conduct and advertising guidelines and “address the unique features of cosmetic surgery”.
They provide greater clarity about what is not acceptable. Advertising must not:
- be false, misleading or deceptive;
- offer discounts without terms and conditions;
- use testimonials;
- create unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment; or
- encourage indiscriminate use.
Additionally, from 1 July 2023:
- medical practitioners must include clear information about their registration type and their registration number;
- clear information about risks and recovery must be easily found;
- videos and images must be used responsibly and not for entertainment;
- videos and images must not be sexualised or include gratuitous nudity;
- the use of negative body language is banned; and
- cosmetic surgery advertising must be identified as adult content.
3: Endorsement of registration for cosmetic surgery
Health ministers have approved a new registration standard for cosmetic surgery endorsement “to help patients know who is trained and qualified to perform cosmetic surgery safely”.
The endorsement will “make it clear on the public register if a doctor has met cosmetic surgery standards set by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and the Medical Board”.
The “same rigorous process that accredits the training programs of specialist medical colleges (like the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons) is setting the standards of training (accreditation standards) required for cosmetic surgery endorsement”.
The cosmetic surgery accreditation standards “are expected to be published shortly and will set the bar that determines which qualifications will be recognised for endorsement”.
Cosmetic surgery training providers “will apply for accreditation of their training program”. If their program meets the accreditation standards, their graduates will be eligible for endorsement. AMP
