What changes to cosmetic surgery and injectables industry mean for clients, doctors and influencers

Uptown Girl Christie Brinkley, 69, has hit back at ugly comments about wrinkles and “chest hair”, saying online haters clearly have something “lacking”.

Hollywood superstar Christie Brinkley has fired up at brutal online comments about her wrinkles and supposed “chest hair”, saying haters are trying to compensate “for something they are lacking”.

Calling herself “Downtown Girl” Brinkley, 69, said she didn’t have chest hair, as suggested by some, but it wouldn’t matter if she did.

“The Wrinkle Brigade is out in full force … they are the people that scan celebrities’ pages hoping they can find some cellulite, wrinkles or anything they can point to critique,” she posted under a close-up photo of her face and chest.

“It must be some form of compensation for something they are lacking.”

She added: “P.S I don’t have hair on my chest obviously (I thought). iPhone has a tendency to create weird things in the shadow. But so what if I did?”

Christie Brinkley hits back at the "wrinkle brigade" over judgment.

Christie Brinkley and daughter Sailor.

Former American top model, actor and entrepreneur, Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, appearing on an unprecedented three consecutive covers in 1979, 1980, and 1981.

The ex wife of music legend Billy Joel, she has famously appeared in several of his music videos and has previously been named one of the most attractive women of all time by magazines including Allure and Men’s Health.

Christie Brinkley on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1979.

Christie Brinkley at the ‘50 Years of Beautiful’ event in 2014. Picture: Dan Steinberg

Brinkley played her first acting role in the 1983 film National Lampoon’s Vacation as ‘the girl in the red Ferrari’ opposite Chevy Chase. She reprised that role in the 1997 sequel Vegas Vacation.

AHPRA crackdown

Sweeping reforms have hit the booming cosmetic surgery and injectables industry.

The changes, which came into effect on July 1 this year, mean practitioners approving cosmetic injectables, such as Botox, must first pose a comprehensive list of questions to patients to determine if they suffer from serious body image issues.

A list of questions must now be answered by people wanting Botox, to help assess their state of mind.

And people seeking plastic surgery — including breast augmentation — must first have a referral from a GP, while surgeons must screen patients for signs of underlying psychological conditions.

A Medical Board of Australia (MBA) spokesperson said the guidelines required the medical practitioner performing or prescribing injectables to discuss with the patient their motivations for having the procedure, and assess them for any underlying psychological conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder.

“If screening indicates the patient has significant underlying psychological issues which may make them an unsuitable candidate for the cosmetic surgery, they must be referred for evaluation to a psychologist, psychiatrist or GP,” the new MBA guidelines state.

Doctors without recognised surgical training who call themselves cosmetic surgeons will face three years in prison and a $60,000 fine.

New advertising guidelines have also come into effect this month clamping down on the use of social media influencers and “ambassadors” to promote procedures by giving them free or discounted services in exchange for positive reviews, and on “false, misleading or deceptive” advertising and promotion.

Chair of the MBA board Dr Anne Tonkin said the vast majority of doctors practised safely, however, the reforms ensured any outliers would be under immense scrutiny.

Women wanting boob jobs will now first need a referral from a GP.

“Doctors are committed to patient safety, but too many people have been left emotionally and physically scarred after cosmetic surgery,” Dr Tonkin said.

“We will be using our regulatory powers to lift safety in this sector. We know the vast majority of doctors welcome these measures and want to make sure they are putting their patients’ safety first.”

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) chief Martin Fletcher said any practitioners ignoring the new rules would face tough action.

“We are focused on cleaning up this sector. We’re spelling out what safe practise and responsible advertising looks like,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to use our regulatory powers to the full on anyone who tries to find loopholes to avoid these changes and jeopardises patient safety.”

Use of patient photos in promotional before and after shots, or to show other prospective patients, must also now have fully informed consent from the person in the pictures, with patients given the opportunity to see and approve the photos first.

However, some influencers have taken exception to the industry crackdown, with former MAFS star Jessika Power said the need for a GP referral would only serve to further clog up Australia’s already strained health system.

Influencer Jessika Power does not agree with the industry changes. Picture: Supplied

Powers says GP involvement will clog up the health system. Picture: Nathan Richter

“Psychologists are going to be inundated with requests from young women, young men, and where’s that going to take the healthcare system? I think it comes down to the person. If you’re old enough to have it done, you’re old enough to make your own choices,” Power has said.

Australians now spend more than $1bn a year on minimally or non-invasive cosmetic procedures.

On May 30 the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia (CPCA) said demand for dermal filler injections had skyrocketed in the last year by more than 25 per cent, while the anti-wrinkle injection market had surged by more than 14 per cent compared to the previous year.