Dr Scott J Turner | Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) | Sydney
Key Takeaways Since July 2023, cosmetic surgery in Australia requires a GP referral, two consultations on separate days, and psychological screening that includes body dysmorphic disorder. Adults get a seven-day cooling-off period; under-18s face a three-month wait plus mandatory assessment. Only doctors with specialist surgical registration may lawfully use the title “surgeon”. A new cosmetic surgery endorsement, approved across 2025 and 2026, will show on the public register which doctors meet the training benchmark.
Australia regulates cosmetic surgery more tightly than almost any comparable country. Since 1 July 2023, a connected set of reforms from the Medical Board of Australia and AHPRA has steadily reshaped how these procedures are advertised, how patients are assessed, and how consent is obtained before anyone reaches an operating theatre. If you are considering surgery in 2026, those rules now sit firmly between your first enquiry and the day of your procedure. That is deliberate.
This guide sets out what applies today. The GP referral. The two-consultation pathway. Mandatory psychological screening. Cooling-off periods. Who is legally allowed to use the title “surgeon”, and the endorsement model that is now being rolled out. I will keep it practical, and where a rule changes what you actually need to do, I will say so plainly.
Why these rules exist
The reforms followed an independent review in 2022 that examined patient safety across the cosmetic surgery sector. It made 16 recommendations. Nearly all were accepted. The common thread was a shift away from treating cosmetic surgery as a consumer purchase and back towards treating it as medical care, with the assessment, consent and follow-up that real surgery demands.
For patients, the practical effect is more steps before you can book. Some people find that frustrating. I see it differently. Every one of those steps exists because, somewhere, a patient was harmed by their absence.
You need a GP referral first
Before any cosmetic surgery consultation, you must have a referral from a registered medical practitioner, usually your own GP. This has applied since 1 July 2023.
It is not a formality. The referral asks your GP to consider your general health, your reasons for seeking surgery, and whether there is anything in your history that warrants a closer look before you proceed. It also means a doctor who knows you, outside the practice performing the surgery, has been part of the decision from the start.
A small number of lower-risk, non-surgical treatments sit outside this requirement. Anything that involves cutting beneath the skin does not.
Two consultations, not one
For cosmetic surgery, you cannot consent at a single appointment.
The first consultation covers your goals, your medical history, the realistic options in front of you, the risks that attach to each of them, and what recovery actually involves once you are home and the momentum of the decision has worn off. You should leave with written information and no pressure to commit. None. The second consultation, held on a separate day, is where consent is confirmed, once you have had real time to absorb everything that was discussed and to ask the questions that only tend to surface later. The surgeon who will operate must be involved in this process directly.
If you ever feel rushed through these stages, treat that as a warning sign. The structure exists precisely so that no one decides on surgery in a single emotional afternoon.
Psychological screening and body dysmorphic disorder
Every patient must be screened for underlying psychological factors, including body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD.
BDD is a recognised mental health condition in which a person becomes intensely preoccupied with a perceived flaw that other people barely notice, often to the point where it interferes with ordinary daily life. Surgery rarely helps. It frequently makes the distress worse. Screening is not about judging anyone, and it is not about gatekeeping. It is about making sure that surgery is the right answer to the concern you are genuinely bringing, rather than a treatment aimed at something no operation can fix.
Where screening raises a flag, you may be referred to a GP, psychologist or psychiatrist for assessment before any decision is made. For some patients, that conversation is the most valuable part of the whole process.
Cooling-off periods
Once the decision to proceed is made, adults have a cooling-off period of at least seven days before surgery can take place. The point is simple. Time to reconsider, free of any sense of obligation.
For patients under 18, the protections are stronger. A three-month cooling-off period applies, alongside a mandatory assessment by a GP, psychologist or psychiatrist. In practice, major cosmetic surgery is rarely appropriate for minors at all, and these rules reflect that caution.
Who can call themselves a “surgeon”
This is one of the most important changes for patients to understand.
By law, only a doctor who holds specialist registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology can use the title “surgeon”, including “cosmetic surgeon”. A doctor with general registration cannot lawfully call themselves a surgeon, regardless of how much cosmetic work they do.
Why does this matter to you? Because the title is now a reliable signal. A Specialist Plastic Surgeon has completed accredited surgical training and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS). That training covers not only the operation, but the management of complications when they arise. You can confirm any doctor’s registration and specialty in seconds on the AHPRA public register.
The cosmetic surgery endorsement: where it stands in 2026
The newest piece of the framework is the cosmetic surgery endorsement, and 2026 is the year it moves from concept towards reality.
Here is the current position. The Australian Medical Council has approved the accreditation standards for cosmetic surgery training, and the Medical Board has approved the registration standard for the endorsement. Training providers can now apply to have their programs accredited. Once programs are approved, graduates will be able to apply to have a cosmetic surgery endorsement recorded on their registration, visible on the public register.
Two points are worth keeping clear. First, the endorsement does not grant the title “surgeon”. A doctor with an endorsement still cannot call themselves a surgeon unless they hold specialist surgical registration. Second, the endorsement is aimed at doctors who are not already specialist surgeons. As a FRACS Specialist Plastic Surgeon, my qualification sits above this pathway, not within it. The endorsement is best understood as a minimum bar for the wider field, not a replacement for specialist training.
Advertising rules have tightened again
The advertising of cosmetic procedures is now closely controlled, and the rules were tightened further for higher-risk non-surgical procedures in September 2025.
Testimonials are prohibited outright. Before and after photographs are heavily restricted, and they must never be presented in a way that creates an unrealistic expectation of what surgery can deliver for any one patient. Language that trivialises surgery, or that glamorises a practitioner with phrases like “world’s best”, is not permitted either. So watch the marketing. If a clinic’s advertising feels more like a beauty campaign than medical information, that itself tells you something about how seriously they treat the rules that exist to protect you.
If your surgery involves an implant
There is a further requirement that catches a lot of patients by surprise, and it applies to any cosmetic surgery that places an implantable device, such as breast implants. Before your surgery, you must be given the manufacturer’s Therapeutic Goods Administration approved patient information leaflet for that specific device, so that you understand exactly what is being placed in your body and what is known about it. After your surgery, you must be given a patient implant card that records the device details for your own records.
Keep both. If you ever need follow-up care, change surgeons, or move interstate, that paperwork is the fastest way for another clinician to know precisely what you have. It is a small administrative step that protects you for years.
What this means for you as a patient
Put simply, the path to cosmetic surgery in 2026 looks like this. A GP referral. Two consultations on separate days. A genuine psychological screen. A cooling-off period. And a surgeon whose registration and specialty you can verify yourself.
Before you commit to anyone, do three things. Check their name on the AHPRA register and confirm their specialty. Ask directly about their qualifications, their experience with your specific procedure, and how they manage complications. And notice whether the practice respects the steps above, or treats them as obstacles to rush past.
How we approach this at our Sydney practice
These rules describe the minimum standard. Not a ceiling.
At our Bondi Junction and Manly clinics, the referral, the two-consultation pathway and the cooling-off period are simply how we work, because a careful and unhurried assessment is what consistently produces safer decisions and better long-term outcomes for the people who sit across from me. If you would like to understand what your options realistically involve, the first step is a proper consultation, not a sales conversation. You are welcome to contact us to arrange one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a GP referral for cosmetic surgery in Australia?
Yes. Since 1 July 2023, you must have a referral from a registered medical practitioner, usually your GP, before your first cosmetic surgery consultation. The referral asks your GP to consider your general health and your reasons for seeking surgery, so that a doctor who knows you is part of the decision from the start. Some lower-risk non-surgical treatments are exempt, but any procedure that involves cutting beneath the skin requires a referral.
What is the cooling-off period for cosmetic surgery?
For adults, a cooling-off period of at least seven days applies once the decision to proceed has been made, before surgery can take place. For patients under 18, a three-month cooling-off period applies, together with a mandatory assessment by a GP, psychologist or psychiatrist. The purpose is to give you time to reconsider without any sense of obligation.
Can anyone call themselves a cosmetic surgeon in Australia?
No. By law, only a doctor with specialist registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology can use the title “surgeon”, including “cosmetic surgeon”. A doctor with general registration cannot lawfully use the title, regardless of how many cosmetic procedures they perform. You can confirm any doctor’s registration and specialty on the AHPRA public register.
What is the cosmetic surgery endorsement?
The endorsement is a new way for the public register to show whether a doctor has met cosmetic surgery training standards set by the Australian Medical Council and the Medical Board of Australia. As of 2026, the accreditation and registration standards have been approved and training programs can apply to be accredited. The endorsement does not grant the title “surgeon”, and it is aimed at doctors who are not already specialist surgeons rather than at FRACS specialist plastic surgeons.
How do I check that my surgeon is properly qualified?
Search the AHPRA public register at ahpra.gov.au using the doctor’s name or registration number. The register shows whether they hold general registration or specialist registration, and in which field. For surgery, look for specialist registration as a plastic surgeon, indicated by FRACS. You should also ask directly about their experience with your specific procedure and how they manage complications.
About Your Surgeon
Dr Scott J Turner is an AHPRA-registered Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) consulting in Sydney (Manly and Bondi Junction), Brisbane and Canberra. His practice focuses on facial aesthetic surgery, rhinoplasty and cosmetic breast surgery, performed at accredited private hospitals in Sydney. Dr Turner emphasises individual patient assessment, surgical planning and clear information on risks, recovery and costs, holds Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
