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MELBOURNE - Cosmetic surgeons in Victoria would be banned from using before and after photographs under a plan to stamp out patient exploitation.
The bans come amid growing alarm that images of perfect bodies are creating false expectations of what surgery can achieve.
New guidelines are being drafted by Victoria's Medical Practitioners Board to address the issue, Fairfax newspapers report today.
"There should be no images of patients in these ads at all," the board's president, Dr Jo Flynn, said.
"There's certainly a view that these pictures -- whether they're 'before and after' shots or beautifully airbrushed shots -- are a part of what is attracting people and creating an unreasonable expectation of the outcome.
"There are some people who are vulnerable, whose judgement about these things is poor, whose body image is distorted and who are looking for the solution to all sorts of issues through cosmetic treatment."
The guidelines also aim to stop doctors exaggerating their expertise and may ban advertising qualifications other than those recognised by the national accreditation body, the Australian Medical Council (AMC).
In Victoria, any person with a medical degree can practise as a "cosmetic surgeon" and perform invasive surgery. Cosmetic surgery is not a recognised AMC specialty. Plastic surgeons, on the other hand, undergo eight years of accredited training.
The board is expected to sign off on the final draft of the guidelines within weeks before it is sent to state Health Minister Bronwyn Pike for approval.
- AAP
