The independent review highlighted unsafe practice, misleading advertising and substandard marketing across the cosmetic industry.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Medical Board of Australia (the Medical Board) today released the report Independent review of the regulation of medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery.  

All 16 recommendations made by the Independent review of the regulation of medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery have been accepted by AHPRA and the Medical Board of Australia, including introducing an “endorsement” process under national law to establish expectations about minimum qualifications for medical practitioners wishing to perform cosmetic surgery.

In addition, AHPRA have set up a targeted ‘Cosmetic Surgery Enforcement Unit’, which is backed by an immediate startup of $4.5million for extra resources to accelerate action and step-up enforcement of the cosmetic surgery sector.

AHPRA will enforce the ban on testimonials in advertisements for cosmetic surgery as they are likely to mislead and deceive patients. AHPRA and the Medical Board also welcomed any action from Health Ministers to protect the title ‘surgeon’.

The targeted ‘Cosmetic Surgery Enforcement Unit’ aims to set clear standards, provide a crackdown on advertising, address under-reporting, strengthen patients voices by providing a confidential reporting hotline for complaints, with reinforcement and strengthening of any existing guidelines. Any complaints will now also be handled differently, with an additional investigative team of AHPRA staff, backed by co-opted external regulatory expertise in forensic investigation and social media scrutiny. 

The cosmetic surgery area of practice endorsement will also complement any action by Health Ministers to restrict the use of the title ‘surgeon’.

Medical Board Chair, Dr Anne Tonkin, said it was clear that stronger action was needed now and committed the Board to its action.

‘A number of practitioners in the cosmetic surgery industry have forfeited the trust of the community and the respect of the medical profession,’ Dr Tonkin said. 

You can read AHPRA’s full review here.

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