Charlotte was just 19 when she had breast implants. These new rules would have saved her years of discomfort

Charlotte Jerrim was just 19 when she decided upon breast implants.

The now 28-year-old said there were no checks of her physical or mental health beforehand, nor was she properly warned about the risks.

Charlotte Jerrim had her breast implants removed after they caused myriad health issues. She welcomes the new cosmetic standards.

“I was young and I purely wanted them for cosmetic reasons,” the Canberra woman told this masthead. “At the time, a lot of my friends had them and there was social pressure to have bigger boobs.”

It was not long before she started to experience issues with her health; brain fog, a rash that would come and go, migraines, chronic fatigue and changes to her menstrual cycle. She battled the symptoms for six years before being diagnosed with Systemic Symptoms Associated with Breast Implants (SSBI) and opted to have an explant.

“If I had been counselled about why I wanted the surgery and properly made aware of the associated risks, I don’t think I would have got them,” she said.

Anyone considering cosmetic surgery is now required to have a referral to the surgeon from a general practitioner who will assess the mental and physical health of patients before recommending them for any procedure.

The requirement is part of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) new National Safety and Quality Cosmetic Surgery Standards (Cosmetic Surgery Standards), to be implemented alongside every service where cosmetic surgery is performed, from small day procedure clinics, through to large health organisations and builds on rules announced by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) in July.

Along with patient suitability, cosmetic surgery advertising must now comply with legislation and national codes and guidelines to avoid manipulating or deceiving customers.

The rash Charlotte Jerrim experienced after having breast implants.

Clinicians must obtain informed consent from patients about expected outcomes, potential risks and possible outcomes, and the costs associated should complications arise. They must also establish a complaints service and seek feedback from patients about their experiences and outcomes or care.

Services are now required to have credentialing processes to verify the qualifications and experience of all practitioners performing cosmetic surgery. Meanwhile, post-operative care instructions must be provided to patients, including what to do in case of an emergency, with clinicians to ensure comprehensive post-operative reviews are undertaken.

Under the new standards, cosmetic surgery is defined as an invasive surgical procedure that involves cutting beneath the skin to achieve what a person perceives to be a more desirable appearance. This may include breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, surgical facelifts, abdominoplasty, liposuction and fat transfer. Cosmetic surgery is not used to prevent, diagnose or treat medical diseases or conditions.

The standards do not include non-surgical procedures such as cosmetic injectables and thread lifts and fat freezing.

ACSQHC clinical director Associate Professor Liz Marles said the introduction of the standards signalled a turning point for the industry.

“What we specifically want to do is to protect patients from harm and make sure that there is an assessment of patient suitability first and foremost,” she said.

“By bringing rigour to the cosmetic surgery sector with these tailored standards, Australians will gain confidence that when they visit a cosmetic surgery service accredited to the standards, they are receiving safe and high-quality care – no matter where they access the service.”

Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery director Dr Garry Buckland said the cosmetic industry had previously operated without rigorous oversight and the standards were long overdue.

“I think we all know that the reputation of cosmetic surgery has reached an all-time low and these standards are long overdue, the demand [for cosmetic surgery] has grown exponentially in recent years and these standards are in response to that,” he said.

“One of the things that many people possibly don’t realise, is that cosmetic surgery is no different to any other surgery and now we can ensure the quality of surgery to protect patients.”

Since September 2022, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has fielded 179 formal complaints and 428 calls to the Cosmetic Surgery Helpline. It is estimated that $473 million has been spent in Australia this year on cosmetic surgery, according to IBS World research.

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