Medical disclaimer

Listings, treatment pages, cost pages and tools are general information. They do not take account of your health, history or circumstances and are not a substitute for a consultation with a registered health practitioner who has assessed you.

Ask the practitioner about the risks, recovery time, alternatives and total cost before you agree to any procedure. The consultation questions list covers what to ask.

Calculator and estimator results are worked out from prices recorded on clinic websites. They are not quotes.

A listing does not mean Cosmetic.com.au has checked a clinic’s qualifications, registration, safety record, premises, products or prices. Practitioner names and titles are shown as the clinic lists them.

Details are recorded on the date shown and may have changed since. Confirm them with the clinic, and report errors through the suggest an update form.

Doctors, nurses and dentists must be registered with Ahpra (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency). The Ahpra register of practitioners shows each practitioner’s registration status, type and any conditions on their practice.

Not everyone who performs cosmetic treatments is a registered health practitioner. If you cannot find someone on the register, ask the clinic what qualification they hold. The practitioner title checker explains which titles are protected.

The Medical Board of Australia’s guidelines for medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures (issued 1 July 2023) set out what doctors must do. They include:

• Cosmetic surgery needs a referral from a GP or specialist who works independently of the surgeon.
• There must be at least seven days after two consultations and signed consent before surgery can be booked or a deposit paid.
• Patients under 18 need an independent psychological assessment and a cooling-off period of at least three months before surgery.
• The prescriber must consult the patient, in person or by video, each time they prescribe a prescription-only cosmetic injectable.
• The Board considers botulinum toxin and dermal fillers should not be prescribed to patients under 18 for cosmetic purposes.

For general information about procedures, see healthdirect’s guide to cosmetic surgery.

Search the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods to check whether a medicine or device is approved for supply in Australia. Report a suspected side effect or device problem to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (device reports 1800 809 361).

If someone’s health or safety is at immediate risk, call 000 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

Raise a concern about a registered practitioner with Ahpra (1300 419 495), or call the Ahpra Cosmetic Surgery Hotline on 1300 361 041, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST.

Each state and territory has a health complaints body that handles complaints about health services and providers, including some that Ahpra does not:

• Health Care Complaints Commission (NSW), 1800 043 159
• Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria), 1300 582 113
• Office of the Health Ombudsman (Queensland), 133 646
• Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner (South Australia), 1800 232 007
• Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (Western Australia), 1800 813 583
• Health Complaints Commissioner (Tasmania), 1800 001 170
• ACT Human Rights Commission (Health Services Commissioner), (02) 6205 2222
• Health and Community Services Complaints Commission (Northern Territory), 1800 004 474

The complaint route finder shows which body handles your complaint, by state, provider and problem.