Consultation opening soon - have your say on non-surgical cosmetic procedure guidelines

05 Sep 2023

In the coming months, a consultation will be opened for the proposed practice and advertising guidelines for non-surgical cosmetic procedures. 

The consultation will include:

• Proposed Guidelines for nurses who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s guidelines)
• Proposed Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (shared guidelines)
• Proposed Guidelines for registered health practitioners who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures (cosmetic advertising guidelines for all practitioners performing non-surgical cosmetic procedures) 

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has identified the need to raise the regulatory status of the current Position statement: Nurses and cosmetic medical procedures (the position statement) to reflect a similar approach to the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and their recently released Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures (MBA’s cosmetic guidelines). 

The draft guidelines have been developed from and generally mirror the advice from the NMBA’s current position statement however will capture additional areas identified within the MBA’s cosmetic guidelines. 

The intention is to place stronger emphasis on informed consent and pre-procedure consultation including a client suitability assessment, particularly for those under the age of 18. It will also identify the necessary use of medicines approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the qualifications and training required of nurses performing these procedures. 

The proposed new advertising guidelines are likely to look at before and after images, claims around expertise and qualifications and the ban on the use of testimonials. There will also be greater clarity on the use of influencers in advertising for procedures.

The draft guidelines will apply to all enrolled nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners who work in the non-surgical cosmetic space.

Have your say on the proposed changes

Public consultation on the proposed guidelines is expected to begin in October. We anticipate releasing the new guidance in the first half of 2024.

Keep an eye on the Ahpra and NMBA consultation pages for further updates.