If you search for Ahpra cosmetic surgery guidelines, the source you need is the Medical Board of Australia’s Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures. They took effect on 1 July 2023. Ahpra, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, works with the Medical Board to regulate doctors, but these are the Medical Board’s guidelines.
The guidelines set out a pathway that gives patients time to ask questions, receive written information and decide whether surgery is right for them. This article explains the parts that affect patients directly. It is general information, not advice about your circumstances.
The pathway before cosmetic surgery
At Brisbane Cosmetic Clinic, we follow the pathway below. The order matters because the cooling-off period begins after two consultations and signed consent, not at the first appointment.
- Get a GP referral. Every patient seeking cosmetic surgery needs a referral, preferably from their usual GP. If that is not possible, another GP can refer you. The referrer must work independently of the doctor who will operate and must not perform cosmetic surgery or cosmetic procedures. You can bring the referral to, or supply it at, your first appointment.
- Have your first consultation. You need at least two pre-operative consultations. The first must be with Dr Konrat or a registered health practitioner who works with her. It must not be with a patient advisor or agent.
- Have your second consultation. At least one of the two consultations must be in person with Dr Konrat, the doctor who will operate. Other consultation(s) can be in person or by video call. Dr Konrat consults in person at her Brisbane rooms in Annerley and, for NSW patients, in Sydney.
- Discuss consent with Dr Konrat. Consent forms cannot be signed at the first consultation. You cannot consent until you have had an in-person consultation with Dr Konrat. The decision to have surgery is made at a consultation with her, in person or by video call.
- Wait at least seven days. The wait starts once you have had two consultations and signed consent. During this period, surgery cannot be booked and a deposit cannot be paid. You can use the time to talk over why you want surgery with your GP.
- Book surgery after the wait. After the seven days have passed, we can book a surgery date and take a deposit. Before then, you pay for consultations and nothing else.
Dr Georgina Konrat (MBBS, FACCSM), General Registration, AHPRA registration MED0001407863, is the doctor who will operate at Brisbane Cosmetic Clinic. You can check any doctor’s registration on the Ahpra public register.
What the doctor must assess and discuss
The first part of the pathway is a clinical discussion, not a sales appointment. Dr Konrat must discuss your reasons and motivation for requesting surgery, including outside influences and your own feelings about appearance. She must discuss your expectations so they are realistic.
You should be asked whether another practitioner has declined to provide cosmetic surgery. Dr Konrat must also assess for underlying psychological conditions, including body dysmorphic disorder, using a validated screening tool. The process and outcome must be documented in your patient record. If screening shows significant psychological issues that may affect suitability, you must be referred for evaluation by a psychologist, psychiatrist or GP who works independently of the doctor who will operate.
The discussion must include other options. That can include another procedure or treatment offered by a health practitioner, as well as the option of not having surgery. A doctor must decline to perform surgery when they believe it would not serve the patient’s interests.
Consent and the information you should receive
Before you decide, the doctor must give you plain-language written information and discuss it with you. It must cover:
- what the surgery involves;
- the anaesthesia and pain management;
- where it will take place;
- possible short-term and long-term outcomes;
- risks and complications, including risks specific to you;
- recovery time and care requirements;
- possible further treatment; and
- which other practitioners may be involved.
The written information must also include:
- the doctor’s registration type, qualifications, training and experience;
- the total cost;
- implant or device costs, where relevant;
- other practitioner and facility costs;
- deposits, payment dates and deposit refunds;
- follow-up care costs; and
- possible further treatment costs.
Cosmetic surgery is not covered by Medicare.
If surgery includes an implantable device, you must be given the TGA-approved patient information leaflet before surgery and the patient implant card after surgery. If photographs or videos are proposed, your consent must be requested separately. You should be told their purpose, how and where they will be stored, who can access them, and how they may be used. You can refuse use of your images in advertising, and consent for image use must be separate from consent to surgery.
Informed consent must be obtained from the doctor who will operate at a consultation, in person or by video call, at least seven days before surgery. A copy of the signed consent form must be given to you. Consent is reconfirmed on the day of surgery.
Consultation fees, deposits and payment rules
The Medical Board says that no money should be payable until the cooling-off period has ended, except for initial consultations. The consultation fee is $165. It covers your initial consultation and any further consultations required before surgery. It is not credited toward the cost of surgery.
The guidelines also say that doctors must not provide or offer surgery without a fee, or discounted surgery, as promotion. They must not offer, promote or recommend loans or commercial payment plans as part of cosmetic surgery. They must not encourage patients to take on debt or access superannuation to pay for surgery. Additional products or services, such as discounted flights or accommodation, must not be used as an incentive.
Patients under 18
The guidelines set extra requirements for a patient under 18. Before surgery, the patient must be evaluated by an independent psychologist, psychiatrist or GP, and there must be at least three months between informed consent and surgery. The patient should also be encouraged to discuss the reasons for surgery with their GP during that period.
Brisbane Cosmetic Clinic treats patients aged 18 and over only.
Facilities, aftercare and complaints
Cosmetic surgery must be performed in an accredited facility. Before surgery, you should be told how post-operative care will be provided if the doctor is not personally available.
The written instructions you receive on discharge must include:
- contact details;
- details of the surgery and anaesthesia;
- usual post-surgical symptoms;
- instructions for unusual pain or symptoms;
- medication and dressing instructions;
- activity restrictions;
- self-care information; and
- follow-up dates.
If you are dissatisfied, the guidelines say you can raise the matter with the doctor, use the clinic or facility complaint process, contact the health complaints body in the state or territory where surgery occurred, or contact Ahpra and the relevant state body.
Questions and warning signs
You can ask who will operate, what their registration type, qualifications, training and experience are, what the surgery involves, what risks apply to you, what other options exist, what the total cost includes, and how aftercare will be arranged. You can also ask where the surgery will take place and what written information you can take home.
Being asked to sign consent forms at your first consultation does not match the guidelines. A request for a deposit before the cooling-off period has ended does not match the pathway described above. The same applies to promotion of loans or commercial payment plans, surgery offered without charge or at a reduced price, or flight or accommodation incentives.
Further information and booking
Read the Medical Board of Australia’s cosmetic surgery guidelines and check registration on the Ahpra public register. You can also read about breast implants and breast augmentation, labiaplasty surgery and general risks and complications of cosmetic surgery.
To ask about a consultation with Dr Konrat, call 07 3391 5710 or email info@brisbanecosmetic.com.au. You can also book online.
All surgeries carry risks. Please seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner before proceeding. For more information regarding surgical risks, please visit our website: https://www.brisbanecosmetic.com.au/general-risks-complications-of-cosmetic-surgery/
Dr Georgina Konrat | MED0001407863
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)
Fellow of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine (FACCSM)
Registered Medical Practitioner | General Registration
Book a consultation: https://www.brisbanecosmetic.com.au/book-online
Last updated: 1 October 2026.