Be smart about your cosmetic
treatments. Choose a CPCA
qualified cosmetic
practitioner
Suitably qualified doctors
Your practitioner’s
qualifications mean a lot
Let’s be frank. There is no specific ‘qualification’ when it comes to cosmetic medical procedures.
That’s because cosmetic medical procedures are not paid for by Medicare. To counter this, the CPCA set out, in its fledgling beginnings, to provide a place where doctors could learn, teach, research and practice cosmetic medicine with the primary goal of maintaining patient safety. A Fellow of the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australia is committed to Best Practice in cosmetic medicine, achieved through arduous study, training and mentorship.
WE DON’T ‘SELL’
procedures
CPCA doctors are not sales-persons. Cheap deals, pay-later schemes, high-pressure sales teams and commission-only representatives are not part of the CPCA ethos. If it were refrigerators, cars or carpets, it would be different. But this time it’s your face, your body. It’s relatively simple. We’re doctors. We look after patients. We don’t sell to ‘clients’.
RECOGNISED
AS EXPERTS
Many of our doctors are regular speakers at acclaimed conferences, both in Australia and overseas. State Government Health Ministries, Medical Defence Organisations, and the popular press regularly turn to the CPCA for comment, advice and submissions on issues regarding cosmetic medical procedures in Australia. Research in conjunction with University Faculties and participation in clinical trials are all part of the College’s commitment to Best Practice in cosmetic medicine.
PROFESSIONAL
COMMITMENT
Continuous professional development (CPD) is an essential component for each and every CPCA doctor. This commitment involves providing evidence of attendance to technology updates, professional meetings and conferences, general medical knowledge, advanced first aid, management of complications and contributing to advancing the knowledge of others.
TIGHTER
REGULATIONS
The powers of self-regulation within the College to maintain the highest quality of care in cosmetic medicine is a fundamental principle. But these standards are not necessarily shared by every health practitioner beyond the borders of the CPCA’s jurisdiction. The CPCA believes that patient safety is paramount, whoever performs the procedures in cosmetic medicine. To be any type of patient, that patient is vulnerable to exploitation. The CPCA, through State Health Departments, Health Ministers, and many other regulatory bodies, will continue to provide assistance to raise regulatory standards to the highest possible level in cosmetic medicine.
Not all practitioners are the same
Cosmetic Injector
Cosmetic Physicians work in harmony with our Registered Nurse colleagues.
Just like in the hospital environment we both play vital but different roles. In medicine and other health sectors, whether you are physiotherapist, dentist, nurse or doctor, each are trained within a defined scope of practice.
In cosmetic medicine, once the Cosmetic Physician has consulted the patient and formulated a treatment plan, your cosmetic injections (and energy-based treatments) may be performed by the doctor, or the procedure may be carried out by our Registered Nurse colleagues who are specially trained and experienced in these tasks.
Which health practitioner performs your procedure will depend upon the nature of the treatment and the individual patient.
CPCA Doctors
In the end, your cosmetic physician is the one person responsible for you care.
Cosmetic medicine, like all other areas of medicine, carries some risk, and rarely these risks, even in the best hands, can just happen. Cosmetic physicians are trained to manage these situations, to administer medications should an emergency arise, and have the protocols in place to refer patients to specialists where necessary, as quickly as possible.
It is also not enough to have completed the standard six year course in medicine to be competent as a Cosmetic Physician. There’s a lot to learn in Cosmetic Medicine, more exams to pass, and working side-by-side with mentors. Yet, as it stands, any doctor could call themselves a cosmetic physician. So it pays to ask questions about training and experience.
You can find a CPCA doctor near you here.