Have your say on draft guidelines for practitioners who perform and who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures

27 Nov 2023

Ahpra and the National Boards are consulting on three documents related to the regulation of registered health practitioners who perform and who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

We invite your feedback on any or all of the following draft guidelines: 

1. Guidelines for registered health practitioners who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures (advertising guidelines). 
2. Guidelines for nurses who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (nurses practice guidelines) 
3. Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (shared practice guidelines) 

The draft advertising guidelines will apply to anyone advertising non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including medical practitioners, nurses and dentists. Much like the Medical Board’s new cosmetic surgery advertising guidelines – now in place – these advertising guidelines include guidance around issues such as before and after images, claims about expertise and qualifications and the ban on the use of testimonials. The use of social media influencers is also a focus.

The two draft practice guidelines are for all registered health practitioners (other than medical practitioners) performing non-surgical cosmetic procedures. This includes one guideline specific to nurses and another shared guideline for all other registered practitioners. These practice guidelines will not apply to medical practitioners, who are already working to new Medical Board cosmetic practice guidelines that came into effect on 1 July 2023. Medical practitioners may wish to provide feedback on the guidelines for other registered health practitioners, particularly those who work with other registered health practitioners in the non-surgical cosmetic procedures sector.  

The consultation is open for 10 weeks, closing on 2 February 2024.  

Learn more about the consultation and how you can have your say on the Medical Board of Australia's consultation page.