Before you book anywhere, ask three things: is the practitioner’s AHPRA registration current, does the consultation cover risks and aftercare in detail, and is there a genuine 7-day cooling-off period before any procedure goes ahead. If a clinic’s website or salesperson can’t answer these plainly, that’s a reason to keep looking.
Key takeaways
- Check any practitioner’s registration on the public AHPRA register before booking, not after.
- MBBS and general registration are the legal minimum to practise medicine in Australia. Additional fellowships (like FACCSM) reflect further training, not a different licence to operate.
- A genuine consultation covers your medical history, a GP referral, realistic expectations, risks, and recovery. It should take longer than fifteen minutes.
- A GP referral is required before a first consultation for cosmetic procedures at this practice.
- A 7-day cooling-off period applies between consultation and any procedure. Clinics that skip this or pressure same-day bookings are a red flag.
- Medicare and private health insurance rebates do not apply to treatment at this practice, and cost should never be the first thing you’re sold on.
How to check a practitioner’s AHPRA registration
Every doctor practising in Australia must hold registration with the Medical Board of Australia, administered through AHPRA. You can search the public register by name and confirm three things: that the registration is current, exactly what type of registration it is, and whether any conditions or notations are attached.
This takes two minutes and it’s worth doing before you commit to anything. A clinic that discourages you from checking, or one whose practitioner isn’t listed at all, isn’t one to proceed with.
What credentials and qualifications actually mean
MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) is the primary medical degree in Australia. It’s the qualification that allows someone to practise as a doctor once they hold general registration with AHPRA. General registration means a practitioner has met the Medical Board’s requirements to practise medicine, full stop. It doesn’t say anything about which procedures a doctor does or doesn’t perform.
FACCSM stands for Fellow of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine. It’s a further credential held in addition to general registration, reflecting additional training and assessment specific to cosmetic medicine.
AHPRA’s cosmetic surgery guidelines protect certain professional titles: they’re legally restricted to practitioners who hold that exact registration type, and a clinic can’t apply them loosely in its advertising. A cosmetic doctor is a different registration category from a title-holder with that protected credential, and reputable clinics are careful about which term they use. If a website’s wording doesn’t match what shows up on the public register, that’s worth questioning directly.
Dr Georgina Konrat holds MBBS and FACCSM qualifications with general AHPRA registration (MED0001407863), and has been practising since 1997. You can read her background and registration details here.
What a genuine consultation should include
A consultation is not a sales meeting. It should cover your medical history in enough detail that the practitioner understands any conditions or medications that might affect your suitability. It should include a frank conversation about what a procedure can and can’t do, given your anatomy and goals. It should cover the specific risks relevant to the procedure you’re considering, not a generic disclaimer read off a form. And it should leave time for your questions, not rush you toward the consent form.
If a consultation is over in ten minutes, if nobody asks about your medical history, or if the only real content is a price quote, that’s not a consultation doing its job. More detail on what to expect is in our guide to preparing for a procedure.
Why a GP referral is required
At this practice, a GP referral is required before a first consultation for cosmetic procedures. This isn’t paperwork for its own sake. Your GP knows your medical history longitudinally, in a way a clinic meeting you for the first time doesn’t, and a referral is one more checkpoint that a procedure is appropriate for your circumstances.
If you’re asked to book a procedure without ever mentioning your GP, or if a clinic seems keen to skip that step, ask why.
The 7-day cooling-off period, and why it exists
A cooling-off period of at least 7 days between your consultation and any procedure is standard practice, and it exists for a straightforward reason: elective cosmetic procedures shouldn’t be decided under time pressure, in the same sitting as a sales pitch. It gives you time to sit with the information, ask follow-up questions, and change your mind without any cost or consequence.
A clinic offering a discount for booking on the day, or one that frames the cooling-off period as optional, is not operating the way AHPRA expects. This single detail is one of the more reliable signals of how a clinic actually runs, separate from anything on its website.
Spotting non-compliant advertising
AHPRA’s advertising guidelines for medical practitioners set out what’s permitted in health service advertising, and cosmetic procedures sit squarely inside that framework. A handful of patterns tend to show up in advertising that isn’t compliant:
Outcome guarantees or promises (“guaranteed results”, language implying a certain look is assured) aren’t permitted, because individual results vary and no ethical practitioner can promise an outcome. Patient testimonials in advertising are restricted under the guidelines. Before-and-after images used in paid advertising (as opposed to clinical documentation shown in a consultation) carry specific restrictions. And pressure tactics, like urgency around same-day bookings or time-limited pricing, sit awkwardly next to a cooling-off requirement that’s supposed to slow things down, not speed them up.
None of this means every clinic advertising cosmetic procedures is doing something wrong. It means these are the specific things worth noticing when you’re comparing options.
Questions about risks, aftercare, and who manages complications
Every cosmetic medical procedure carries risk, and a clinic that treats this as a minor footnote isn’t being straight with you. Ask what the specific risks are for the procedure you’re considering, not just a generic list. Ask who you contact if something goes wrong after hours, not just during business hours. Ask whether the person managing your aftercare is the same person who saw you at consultation, or whether you’ll be handed to someone else. And ask what happens if a complication needs further treatment: what that process looks like, and who’s responsible for it.
Our page on general risks and complications covers this in more depth, and it’s worth reading before any consultation, not after.
Cost transparency, without the pressure
Medicare and private health insurance rebates do not apply to treatment at this practice. That’s worth knowing upfront, because it shapes how you should think about cost from the outset rather than finding out partway through a conversation.
Beyond that, a clinic being transparent about cost means giving you a clear, itemised understanding of what’s included in a quoted fee (the procedure, follow-up appointments, any revision policy) before you’re asked to commit to anything. It does not mean publishing a price list as the main selling point, and we don’t do that here. Cost is one part of a much bigger decision, and it should come after the clinical conversation, not before it.
A checklist to take to your first consultation
- Can I see your AHPRA registration number, and can I check it myself on the public register?
- What is your specific qualification (MBBS, fellowship, other), and what does that mean for this procedure?
- What are the risks specific to my anatomy and medical history, not just the general risks listed online?
- Do I need a GP referral, and has that been arranged?
- How long is the cooling-off period, and can I book my procedure today if I want to?
- Who manages my aftercare, and how do I reach them if something feels wrong after hours?
- What does recovery actually look like, week by week, for someone in my situation?
- What happens if I need a revision or a complication needs further treatment?
- Will the person who consulted with me also be the one performing the procedure?
- What’s included in the quoted cost, and what isn’t?
- Can I take written information home rather than deciding in the room?
- What are the realistic limits of what this procedure can achieve for me?
FAQ
Do I need a referral from my GP before I can book a consultation?
Yes. A GP referral is required before a first consultation for cosmetic procedures at this practice.
Does Medicare or my private health fund cover any of the cost?
No. Medicare and private health insurance rebates do not apply to treatment at this practice.
How long is the cooling-off period before a procedure?
A minimum of 7 days between consultation and procedure, giving you time to reconsider without pressure.
How do I check that a doctor’s registration is genuine and current?
Search their name on the AHPRA public register. It shows registration type, status, and any conditions attached.
What does “cosmetic doctor” actually mean as a title?
It means a medical practitioner with general AHPRA registration who performs cosmetic procedures, distinct from other protected professional titles that require a different registration pathway. You can read more about what a cosmetic doctor’s training involves.
If you’d like to talk through any of this before deciding, our patient information page and 14-point plan cover the practice’s approach in more detail, or you can book a consultation directly. You’re also welcome to meet the team or get in touch with questions first.
About the author
This article was written with input from Dr Georgina Konrat, MBBS, FACCSM, AHPRA registration MED0001407863 (general registration), a cosmetic doctor at Brisbane Cosmetic Clinic in Annerley, practising since 1997. Read more about Dr Konrat’s background and registration.
Risks and disclaimer
All cosmetic medical procedures, surgical or non-surgical, carry risks, and results vary between individuals. This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. A consultation and GP referral are required before any procedure. Read more about general risks and complications of cosmetic procedures.