Anyone having cosmetic surgery may soon have to undergo a mandatory cooling-off period before going under the knife.
The Medical Board of Australia has proposed new guidelines for all cosmetic medical and surgical procedures.
Under the proposals there would be a seven-day cooling-off period for all adults, as well as written information about the costs involved in any procedure.
Anyone aged under 18 would need to have a psychological assessment before having cosmetic surgery.
It includes cosmetic medical and surgical procedures such as breast augmentation, breast reduction, rhinoplasty, surgical face lifts and liposuction.
Other procedures covered by the proposed guidelines are minor, non-surgical procedures that do not involve cutting beneath the skin, such as laser hair removal, dermabrasion, chemical peels, injections, microsclerotherapy, and hair replacement therapy.
The board is inviting feedback on the best way to protect consumers seeking cosmetic medical procedures.
Board chairwoman Dr Joanna Flynn said the board believed the new guidelines were the best way forward.
“We want to do what we can to keep the public safe, without imposing an unreasonable regulatory burden on practitioners,” Dr Flynn said.
Other measures under consideration include:
- a three-month cooling-off period before procedures for all under 18s, as well as a mandatory assessment by a registered psychologist or psychiatrist;
- explicit guidance on informed patient consent, including clear information about risks and possible complications;
- responsibility for post-operative care by the doctor, including emergency facilities where anaesthesia is used;
- mandatory face-to-face consultations before doctors prescribe cosmetic injectables, such as Botox;
- new limits on where cosmetic procedures can take place, to reduce risk to patients.
The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery estimates the total annual expenditure on cosmetic procedures, including non-medical treatments, in Australia is around $1 billion.
Australians spend more than $350 million on prescription-only cosmetic injectables, while medical practitioners perform about 8,000 breast augmentation surgeries and 30,000 liposuction procedures each year.
The guidelines have been put out for public consultation, which closes on May 29.
The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons said “with cosmetic surgery procedures, it is particularly important that the patient is given sufficient time to think about whether the procedure is in his or her best interests”.
Its code of conduct for plastic surgeons specifies a cooling-off period of a minimum of ten days between the initial consultation between the plastic surgeon and the patient, and the cosmetic surgery procedure.