The cosmetic surgery industry is preparing for a makeover with a suite of new measures designed to safeguard mental health and prevent inappropriate procedures.
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From July 1, people seeking cosmetic surgery and other procedures will need to undergo a mental evaluation to screen for conditions like body dysmorphic disorder in a move the federal health watchdog says will improve consumer safety.
All patients seeking cosmetic surgery must have a referral, preferably from their usual general practitioner, the regulator says.
Ahpra's new regulations also apply to doctors practising with non-surgical procedures that pierce the skin including injectables and laser treatments.
It comes as Australians spend more than $1 billion a year on minimally or non-invasive procedures that provide a 'natural' look.
Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia president Dr David Kosenko said he welcomed the new restrictions for cosmetic practitioners and said procedures like fillers and Botox should be treated with more caution.
"When you break the skin and inject something into the body, then that is a procedure. It's not a simple beauty treatment," he said.
There are no national regulations on the use of lasers and intense pulsed light in the cosmetic industry in Australia.
"It's mainly around safety that I have concerns, making sure people are looked after and the public understand who is doing what to them," Dr Kosenko said.
"Ensuring the person doing it is appropriately qualified and the treatment they're providing is within their scope of knowledge and practice."
Clients seek a 'natural' look
Popular on social media and touted as an alternative to botox and fillers, non-invasive procedures use lasers, needles and radio frequency to improve the appearance of skin.
At Laser Cosmetica in Wollongong, owner Kasey Vane offers the pigmentation removal treatment Lumecca, which uses intense pulsed light that delivers up to three times more energy than traditional light treatments and costs $400 a session.
"This treatment is very quick and easy, to do a full face takes about 15 minutes. The downtime is very minimal, and so is the pain," Ms Vane said.
"I'm starting to see a change within the industry that people are wanting a more natural approach and they just want their own skin looking the best it possibly can,
"People are definitely investing in a more natural beauty look."
It is a cultural shift that body image research lead at Monash University and clinical psychologist Dr Gemma Sharp said reflects wider changes in beauty standards.
"I think we went through a phase where an obviously cosmetically enhanced look was very popular, the duck lips, faces that had quite a lot of filler. Now people want work that looks more natural," she said.
Endorsed by beauty influencers and high profile celebrities like the Kardashians, discussing aesthetic procedures is no longer taboo and social media has played a key role in showcasing available treatments and its results.
It was on social media that 25-year-old Hollie Peters first heard about Morpheus8, a 'non surgical facelift' that combines micro-needling and radio frequency to target the deepest layer of skin.
"My face was really red and I had a lot of scarring from acne that I was really insecure about, so I would wear makeup everywhere, even to the gym," Ms Peters said.
"I've had a lot of different treatments but none of them have had the same effect and impact in such a short amount of time that Morpheus8 has."
Screening for mental health
Dr Sharp works with cosmetic surgeons to conduct mental evaluations of patients before their procedures.
"Body image concerns are the main driver for all cosmetic procedures," Dr Sharp said.
"The vast majority of people who I see, I give the green light. It's pretty rare that I say, maybe not for this person at this time."
It's a sentiment echoed by Dr Brigid Corrigan, specialist plastic surgeon and member of Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons.
"Appearance is important to people and it's actually important to how people are treated and how easily they get jobs and how they're perceived by people in society," she said.
"So I think that's the reason why people focus on it."
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