Patients wanting cosmetic surgery will need a GP referral from 1 July, under new guidelines designed to reduce the risk of exploitation by practitioners. 

AHPRA said patients should be able to discuss their motivation for cosmetic surgery with their GP, who had the best understanding of their medical history.

It stressed that the Medical Board of Australia would not expect GPs to have a detailed knowledge of cosmetic procedures or to seek the patient’s informed consent for cosmetic procedures they are not personally providing.

But it said the updated guidelines will state: “The referring medical practitioner must work independently of the medical practitioner who will perform the surgery and must not perform cosmetic surgery or non-surgical cosmetic procedures themselves.”