Effective 1 July 2023
New Guidelines for medical practitioners who advertise cosmetic surgery (guidelines) apply from 1 July 2023. An advance copy is available on the Medical Board’s website.
These changes were announced on 3 April 2023.
Ahpra and the Medical Board of Australia have developed these visual examples and frequently asked questions to help practitioners comply with the new guidelines.
These examples do not represent all of the requirements and should be read in conjunction with the guidelines.
The guidelines have been developed to address the unique features of cosmetic surgery that are not present in many other areas of medical practice and the specific risks involved with cosmetic surgery advertising.
Cosmetic surgery is invasive with the potential for complications, is often irreversible and is often sought by potentially vulnerable people.1 It can also be a lucrative area of practice and financial gain can compete with and sometimes outweigh patient wellbeing and safety considerations.
The guidelines describe responsible practice when advertising cosmetic surgery. Good practice cosmetic surgery advertising is honest, balanced, realistic, and informative. It protects the dignity of patients and does not exploit patients.
‘Cosmetic surgery’ is defined in the ‘Definitions’ section of the guidelines.
All advertising is also required to comply with the advertising requirements under the National Law and Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service.
