How to Choose a Specialist Plastic Surgeon in Australia
A guide to finding a qualified, experienced surgeon: qualifications, verification, and the questions that matter at consultation.
Understanding surgeon qualifications
Since September 2023 the title "surgeon" has been protected in Australia, and that includes "cosmetic surgeon". Only practitioners holding specialist registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology may use it. The protection covers the title rather than the procedure: a doctor with general registration can still legally perform cosmetic surgery, but must not describe themselves as a surgeon.
FRACS, Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, in plastic and reconstructive surgery represents a minimum twelve-year training pathway independently examined by the college. Other credentials exist and may reflect genuine training, but they are not equivalent and are not assessed against the same national standard.
How to verify AHPRA registration
Search the practitioner on the public AHPRA register before your consultation. Check the registration is current, read the registration type to see whether specialist registration is held and in which specialty, and read any conditions or undertakings recorded against it.
Red flags and green flags
Treat pressure to decide on the day, deposits taken before the cooling-off period, and reluctance to name a college fellowship as warnings. Admitting rights at an accredited private hospital, clear written quotes covering revision, and a documented complications rate are good signs.
Questions to ask in your consultation
Ask which college fellowship the practitioner holds, who performs the surgery and who administers the anaesthetic, where the procedure takes place and whether that facility is accredited, what the quote includes, what revision costs, and what the practitioner's own complication and revision rates are.
Evaluating before-and-after photos
Look for consistent lighting, angle and distance between the before and after image, results at a comparable time post-operation, and cases resembling your own starting point rather than only the best outcomes.