About this episode
We invited two surgeons from different backgrounds, plastic surgeon Dr Tim Brown and cosmetic surgeon Dr Niro Sivathasan, to discuss the current crisis in the Australian cosmetic surgery industry.
In Australia it is currently legal for any doctor with a medical licence to perform cosmetic surgery, regardless of expertise or experience, because there is no formal training pathway for cosmetic procedures. The term 'cosmetic surgeon' covers everyone from new graduates with no formal training to highly respected surgeons with 25+ years of experience, and the relationship between plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons has long been uncomfortable.
A recent Four Corners programme reignited the debate with allegations of unsafe standards. We discuss training standards, the lack of defined competency, media coverage, the role of regulators, financial incentives, how patients can check credentials, social media marketing, consultation and patient selection, and pathways toward better standards and collaboration.
What you'll learn
- The difference between plastic and cosmetic surgeons
- Why training standards are being debated
- How patients can assess a surgeon's credentials
- Ethical boundaries in social media marketing
- Pathways toward better industry standards
Topics
- Plastic surgery
- Cosmetic surgery
- Regulation
- Patient safety
- Australia
Full transcript
The full transcript for this episode is coming soon.