When planning to have a cosmetic procedure, patients need to do proper research and make sure their surgeon of choice is a board-certified cosmetic surgeon. There have been many stories about people claiming to be “cosmetic surgeons” performing procedures that can cause results that threaten the long-term health of the person trusting them to provide the desired results.
While medical boards around the world have been doing their part to combat unauthorized cosmetic procedures, Australia is taking steps to combat the problem by proposing recommendations to the NSW Parliament that are aimed at protecting the public from anyone that misleads patients by claiming to be a "cosmetic surgeon" when they do not perform any type of medical specialty and/or do not meet the minimum criteria of training associated with the medical title, “cosmetic surgeon”.
The joint committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission recently made 16 recommendations to the Parliament. They say the recommendations are the result of an inquiry launched last year after reports of botched cosmetic procedures that caused the death of several patients as well as causing others to suffer from severe bodily harm.
The report requested that NSW (New South Wales) Health Minister Brad Hazzard renew his push to introduce restrictions when it comes to who can lawfully call themselves a "cosmetic surgeon". The restrictions are designed to ban the use of the title by doctors that do not have the minimum amount of medical training or accreditation necessary to claim the title.
As it currently stands in Australia, anyone can refer to themselves as a “cosmetic surgeon” and this implies that the person using the title has the proper training and experience to practice cosmetic surgery. This is often not the case and can produce less than ideal results.
In fact, the title “cosmetic surgeon” is currently not recognized by the Australian Health Practitioner’s Regulation Agency or the National Medical Board. However, there are many doctors that currently market their services as a cosmetic surgeon including general practitioners and general surgeons.
The recent report also recommends that individuals who offer cosmetic services must reveal any type of payments or incentives they have received from the patients that agreed to undergo a procedure.
In addition, the committee recommended that popular procedures such as intense pulsed light and laser treatments be regulated under national and state laws. The report also suggested the establishment of a website and advice service for patients interested in cosmetic treatments as well as an education campaign designed to warn patients about the risks involved in undergoing cosmetic procedures.
In a recent interview, the president of the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Naveen Somia, advocated for improved regulations to improve patient safety. Dr. Somia said, “Most Australians would be astounded to know how relaxed our laws are around who can perform invasive surgical procedures. The title 'cosmetic surgeon' serves no purpose other than to mislead and create confusion for patients.”
Dr. Somia went on to say that the expansion of the cosmetic industry over the past decade was fueled by an increase in the number of providers who decided to put profits over the welfare of their patients. “These commercial entities prey on the vulnerabilities of people seeking cosmetic procedures offering no-frills services, at what seems to be an affordable cost, but is only possible due to severe cutbacks that may compromise patient safety and surgical outcomes.”
When asked for a comment, a spokesperson for NSW Health stated that the state government welcomed the report and that the recommendations made in the report were being considered. The spokesperson also said that the NSW government was already working to lead the way in the regulation of all aspects of cosmetic health service.
As recently as 2016, NSW became the first state that introduced laws designed to require cosmetic surgery viewed as a high-risk procedure to be performed in a licensed private health facility. Plus, in 2018, NSW introduced a provision targeting any person who carries out high-risk procedures in unlicensed facilities. NSW has also passed laws that allow for additional regulations specifically targeted towards treatments such as dermal fillers and Botox.
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