Ahpra and National Boards are reforming the regulation of registered health practitioners who work in the cosmetics sector in Australia, to improve practice and standards, public safety and informed consumer choice.
Ahpra and relevant National Boards are proposing to develop the following new guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform and/or advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures:
- Guidelines for nurses who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (nurses practice guidelines)
- Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (shared practice guidelines)
- Guidelines for registered health practitioners who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures (advertising guidelines) (for all relevant practitioners, including nurses and medical practitioners)
The guidelines will set out what National Boards expect of practitioners who are performing and/or advertising non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) intend to develop nursing-specific practice guidelines, building on their Position statement on nurses and cosmetic medical procedures. The NMBA’s practice guidelines will be similar to the other National Boards’ guidelines for practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures, and consultation on all the guidelines is planned to occur at the same time.
Public consultation now closed
Ahpra and National Boards consulted on proposed new practice and advertising guidelines. Submissions will be published on the Ahpra website soon.
The cosmetic procedures sector has unique features that increase public risk. The guidelines will provide clarity for relevant health practitioners working in this sector and clarity for consumers undergoing non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
Some of the unique features of the non-surgical cosmetic procedures sector include:
- a lack of clear information about the qualifications and experience of practitioners in the sector
- advertising that minimises the risk and complexity of a procedure or implies unrealistic results
- high numbers of young and potentially vulnerable people seeking the procedures
- generating demand and ‘upselling’ procedures and products
- financial gain competing with and sometimes outweighing patient wellbeing and safety
- ongoing cost and frequency of procedures required by patients to maintain outcomes.
The proposed practice guidelines will apply to registered health practitioners who work in this area of practice, including but not limited to nurse practitioners, registered nurses, enrolled nurses, dental practitioners, podiatrists and Chinese medicine practitioners.
The proposed advertising guidelines will apply to all registered health practitioners who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including medical practitioners and nurses.
New guidelines will be informed by the Medical Board’s work on the following guidelines which came into effect on 1 July 2023:
You are encouraged to read the section relating to non-surgical cosmetic procedures in the Medical Board’s guidelines to understand the areas likely to be included in proposed guidelines.
For example, the Medical Board’s guidelines cover some of the following areas:
| Medical Board’s practice guidelines |
Medical Board’s cosmetic advertising guidelines |
- Conflicts of interest
- Patient suitability
- Patient consultation type
- Additional responsibilities for patients under the age of 18
- Informed consent
- Prescribing and administering prescription only cosmetic injectables
- Patient management
- Provision of patient care/consultations by other health practitioners
- Complaints
- Training and experience
- Qualifications and titles
- Facilities
- Financial consent and financial arrangements.
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- Practitioner responsibility
- Titles and claims about expertise and qualifications
- Financial and other incentives
- Testimonials
- Social media influencers and ambassadors
- Use of images including ‘before and after’ images
- Risk, recovery and idealising cosmetic surgery
- Body image
- Realistic expectations of outcomes
- Targeting people potentially at risk.
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Changes will not apply until the proposed guidelines have been subject to public consultation and approval by National Boards. Consultation is occurring from 27 November 2023 to 2 February 2024, and finalisation of the proposed guidelines is likely to be sometime in 2024.
