Est. 2001 · Independent · Australian English
No testimonials · No outcome guarantees
A journal of aesthetic and reconstructive surgery
Cosmetic SurgeonsAn independent Australian journal of aesthetic and reconstructive surgery
Regulation correspondent
James reports on Ahpra, the TGA and the 2023 cosmetic-surgery reforms, with a focus on titles, advertising and patient information.
Bylines on this site are journalistic. They are not a claim of medical registration. See our editorial standards.
Dermal fillers are a regulated health service in Australia. Vascular occlusion is an emergency, visual loss is a recognised risk, and dissolving agents should be discussed as a class — not as a brand — before anyone is treated.
James Okonkwo · 8 April 2025
In Australia, anti-wrinkle injections are prescription-only medicines. Advertising law explains why clinics cannot name the drug, who may prescribe and administer it, and why consent still has to name risks such as eyelid ptosis.
James Okonkwo · 25 March 2025
FRACS, specialist registration in plastic surgery, the 2023 title reforms, and why “cosmetic surgeon” is not an Ahpra specialist title. A register check still beats a website biography.
James Okonkwo · 4 March 2024
A practical guide to searching the Ahpra Register of Practitioners, reading registration types and conditions, and treating a clinic website as advertising rather than proof of specialist status.
James Okonkwo · 12 February 2024