Australia’s medical regulator says it’s cracking down on cosmetic procedures like Botox and fillers to protect patients from experiencing botched outcomes.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Medical Board of Australia have banded together with a focus on implementing stronger safeguards to protect people from bungled procedures. They plan to do this by reviewing the level of care patients receive before and after treatment, while also ensuring informed consent before undergoing medical care.
New procedural and advertising guidelines will also be proposed after the medical bodies received a shit-ton of complaints from patients who copped significant burns, adverse reactions and serious infections after undergoing cosmetic procedures.
“The cosmetics sector is a booming sector, and we want to make sure that anyone choosing to undergo a cosmetic procedure is as safe as possible,” AHPRA’s chief executive Martin Fletcher told the ABC.
However, those who are living with the outcome of botched procedures reckon the crackdown is too little, too late.
Angie (not her real name) revealed she was forced to take a whole year off work after getting routine dermal fillers to correct bags under her eyes.
However, after her treatment at a South Australian clinic, she knew something wasn’t quite right.
“I went back and said to them, ‘This isn’t right, I need to get this stuff out of my face.’ I was beside myself and couldn’t function,” she told the ABC.
Angie’s complaints about the tightness around her face were dismissed by the clinic and she was told to wait for things to “settle down”.
The clinic eventually administered hyaluronidase injections around her eyes to dissolve the filler, which resulted in “excruciating nerve pain”.
Specialists later gave her steroids, anti-seizure drugs for nerve pain and analgesics.
“They made it look like you’re just going there to get your hair done,” Angie said, suggesting that there should be more transparency about the dangers of getting Botox and fillers.
“It’s an ethical and moral issue for people in the field. They need more consent and understanding of the horrific consequences that could happen.
“My self-esteem wasn’t OK at that point in time anyway, but then to have this happen, not knowing if the pain will go away, if I’d be able to work and look after my kids again was very stressful. Getting through each day was a trial.”
AHPRA’s chief executive said moving forward, social media advertising will be a focus to combat misconceptions about cosmetic procedures.
As it stands, Fletcher sees an issue with ads that only highlight the benefits rather than the risks. AHPRA also wants to quash social media content that features misleading before and after images.
“We want to really make sure that advertising is accurately and fairly explaining these practices, both in terms of the benefits and risks,” Fletcher told the ABC.
AHPRA and the medical board commissioned an independent review of the regulations around cosmetic surgeons back in November 2021, following an investigation conducted by ABC and Nine.
Since then, 14 doctors have been banned or restricted from performing cosmetic work in Australia.
Concerning stuff, particularly after it was revealed in March that the Medical Board of Australia would soon be able to give doctors an official “endorsement in cosmetic surgery” to become surgeons without undertaking proper training.
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