1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Bundelung Calcotin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres 5 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: Straight Island and nations. We pay our respects to the 6 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: first peoples of these countries, both past and present. 7 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 2: Good morning and welcome to the Daily os. It's Wednesday, 8 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 2: the twenty sixth of April. I'm Nina, I'm Sam. The 9 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 2: last few years have seen some confronting accounts of the 10 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 2: cosmetic surgery industry come to light. 11 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 3: The shocking state of Australia's billion dollar cosmetic surgery industry, 12 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 3: performing dangerous surgeries that, far from making people look beautiful, 13 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 3: scard them for life. 14 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 2: Where have we gone so wrong in Australia. New rules 15 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 2: mean Australians seeking cosmetic surgery will have to pass a 16 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 2: psychological assessment before having a procedure. But will it be 17 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 2: enough to reform the industry. We're going to chat about 18 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 2: it in the Deep Dive, But first Sam, what's making 19 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 2: headlines this morning? 20 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 3: Some big news from the US overnight US President. Joe Biden, 21 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,119 Speaker 3: who is eighty, has officially confirmed he will seek reelection 22 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 3: in twenty twenty four. We got the announcement in the 23 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 3: form of a three minute video launching his campaign, where 24 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 3: Biden said, when I ran for president four years ago, 25 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 3: I said, we are in a battle for the soul 26 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 3: of America, and we still are. Donald Trump, who's seventy six, 27 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 3: has also confirmed he will run for president in twenty 28 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 3: twenty four, meaning it could be a rematch of the 29 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 3: twenty twenty election. 30 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 2: A statue of Lachlan mcquarie was covered with red paint 31 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 2: and graffiti ahead of an Anzac Day dawn service yesterday morning. 32 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 2: The statues in Sydney's northwest and depicts the new South 33 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: Wales governor from the eighteen hundreds. The local mayor said 34 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 2: she was appallsed the incident happened on such a national 35 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 2: day of significance. 36 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 3: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has confirmed a three 37 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 3: day ceasefire in sued On between the Sudanese Armed Forces 38 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,919 Speaker 3: and rapid Support forces. Over four hundred people have died 39 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 3: during the latest round of conflict, which escalated on the 40 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 3: fifteenth of April. Historically, the two sides have not complied 41 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 3: with the terms of previous ceasefire agreements, but Secretary Blinken 42 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 3: said he hope's agreement would leads to talks of a 43 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 3: longer term truce. 44 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: And the good news. 45 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 2: The JamesWeb Space Telescope has detected planet forming ingredients in 46 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 2: a dwarf galaxy neighboring the Milky Way. Researchers used infrared 47 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 2: imaging from the telescope and detected thermal radiation emitted from 48 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,399 Speaker 2: warm dust orbiting close to young stars, which they say 49 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 2: are likely to form planets. The team says their discovery 50 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 2: will help us understand whether planets can form in galaxies 51 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 2: which are poorer in materials than the Milky Way. Australian 52 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 2: seeking cosmetic surgery will soon need to sit a mental 53 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 2: health assessment to qualify for procedures. 54 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:02,079 Speaker 4: From July one, it will mandate that anyone going under 55 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 4: the knife has a referral from a GP psychological assessment 56 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 4: and at least two visits with the surgeon. 57 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 2: There's a lot to unpack in the story, Sam, and 58 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 2: when we put it up on Instagram, it generated a 59 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 2: lot of discussion, a lot of comments about what's gone 60 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 2: wrong in the past and whether these rules will go 61 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 2: far enough. 62 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 3: Why don't we start with a bit of background here. 63 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 3: You mentioned in the intro that there's been some pretty 64 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 3: shocking coverage of the entire cosmetic surgery industry in the 65 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 3: last few years. Tell me about some of the key 66 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 3: issues that emerged. 67 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, we really have heard some pretty confronting stories. At 68 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 2: the end of twenty twenty one, a joint investigation by 69 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 2: The Sitney Morning Herald, The Age and ABC's Four Corners 70 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 2: uncovered some pretty serious allegations surrounding hygiene safety breaches and 71 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 2: aggressive and inappropriate advertising and just a general lack of regulation. 72 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 2: After those revelations came to light, an independent review was 73 00:03:55,680 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 2: established to investigate the regulation of medical practitioners who perform 74 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 2: these cosmetic surgeries. And it's the findings of that review 75 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 2: that we're going to be discussing today. 76 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 3: No, No, what procedures are we mainly talking about when 77 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,119 Speaker 3: we're talking about this kind of cosmetic surgery. 78 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, So the Medical Board of Australia, the NBA and 79 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 2: the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency that's a mouthful. We're 80 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: going to call them OPRA. They're the bodies who commissioned 81 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 2: this investigation we're talking about today and the ones who 82 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 2: are suggesting new rules moving forward. So we're going to 83 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 2: use their definition of what cosmetic surgery is, and it's 84 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 2: procedures that cut beneath the skin and alter a body's appearance. 85 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 2: They say the purpose of these procedures is to achieve 86 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 2: what the patient perceives as a more desirable appearance. So 87 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 2: it's things like breast implants, nose jobs, facelifts, tummy tucks, liposuction, 88 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 2: eyelid surgery, and cosmetic genital surgery. So that's things like labiaplasty. 89 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 2: Those are some of the examples that they outline. And 90 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 2: just to be really clear, when we're talking about cosmetic procedure, 91 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,840 Speaker 2: we're not talking about things that are designed to restore 92 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 2: normal body features like reconstructive plastic surgery, or procedures that 93 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:09,919 Speaker 2: serve a clinical or functional purpose like a breast reduction. 94 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 2: That's not something that would be considered a cosmetic procedure. 95 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 3: Okay, So that's how the MBA and APRA have defined 96 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 3: cosmetic surgery. Now take me through what the independent review 97 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 3: actually found. 98 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, so it found a lot. It's a very long document. 99 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:27,919 Speaker 2: We're going to give you some of the highlights the 100 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 2: kind of key takeaways. One of the really big things 101 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 2: that came up was a lack of education, training and 102 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 2: qualifications for those performing the cosmetic surgery. So it'd really 103 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,600 Speaker 2: raised some questions about the people that are doing these 104 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 2: procedures and how qualified and safe they actually are. The 105 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 2: review found that when it comes to cosmetic surgery, universal 106 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 2: minimum standards for all those things I've just mentioned, so 107 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 2: that education and training are non existent in Australia, so 108 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 2: we're really lacking some overall guidelines on how qualified people 109 00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 2: need to be to do these procedures. 110 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 3: Especially when it's combined with really really aggressive advertising. 111 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, so that's the other thing. And you know, we 112 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 2: all have kind of experienced the effects that social media 113 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 2: can have in our perceptions of ourselves. And the review 114 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 2: does mention the fact that there is an increased demand 115 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 2: for these surgeries and these procedures based on the kind 116 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 2: of things that people are seeing on social media. And 117 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 2: the review found that the current guidelines for cosmetic surgery 118 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 2: don't go far enough in emphasizing psychological screening or informed consent. 119 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 2: So all up, the review made sixteen recommendations to improve 120 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 2: standards in the cosmetic surgery industry and the NBA and 121 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 2: OPERA have accepted all of them. 122 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 3: And what will that mean going forward for people who 123 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 3: are seeking out cosmetic surgery. 124 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 2: So, like I said, there were sixteen recommendations that cover 125 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 2: some of the different factors we've talked about. It kind 126 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 2: of addresses some of the concerns around advertising, some of 127 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 2: the concerns around qualifications. But one of the big top 128 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 2: line changes that's going to be implemented is that from 129 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 2: July one, patients who want to get a cosmetic procedure 130 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: done will need to pass a psychological assessment to qualify 131 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 2: for treatment. 132 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,159 Speaker 3: Okay, and what will that exactly look like? 133 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 2: So patients will need a referral from a GP to 134 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 2: attend two mandatory consultations with the practicing surgeon. The surgeon 135 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 2: also has to assess the patient for underlying psychological conditions 136 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 2: like body dysmorphic disorder and whether or not that may 137 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 2: impact your ability to consent if you are requesting a procedure. 138 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:31,119 Speaker 2: So if the surgeon then deems the patient suitable, they'll 139 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 2: then have a seven day cooling off period to kind 140 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 2: of think about the surgery before they can book and 141 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 2: pay for it. But if they aren't deemed suitable, and 142 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 2: for whatever reason the surgeon says, actually, I'm concerned about 143 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 2: your psychological welfare, the surgeon will not perform the procedure 144 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,239 Speaker 2: and the surgeon is then required to refer that patient 145 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 2: for psychological evaluation from a psychiatrist, a psychologist, or a GP. Now, 146 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 2: if the surgeon does refer someone for that psychological assessment, 147 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 2: it doesn't stop that patient from going to a different 148 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 2: cosmetic surgeon and getting other opinions. It just means that 149 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 2: that surgeon has an obligation to refer them for that 150 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 2: assessment before they can proceed with any procedures. 151 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 3: What are some other recommendations included in the report? 152 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 2: So some of the other guidelines relate to that transparency 153 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 2: that we were talking about. So the new guidelines say 154 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 2: that surgeons should be transparent about their qualifications, the limitations 155 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 2: of procedures, the risks, and any ongoing treatments and costs involved. 156 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,439 Speaker 2: Their guidelines also say that all advertising and marketing should 157 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 2: also adhere to those standards of transparency. Prior to any surgery. 158 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 2: Surgeons will also need to inform their patients of their 159 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 2: right to lodge a complaint if they are dissatisfied with 160 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 2: their surgery and how you can go about doing so. 161 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 3: So we put up this story about the new regulations 162 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 3: that are coming to the cosmetic surgery industry, and there 163 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 3: were some really interesting criticisms in the comments section. One 164 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 3: person wrote, it's worth considering also that some people with 165 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 3: existing mental health conditions might actually be happier with the 166 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 3: noose job or tummy tuck, and it won't lead to 167 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 3: a worstening of their mental health, but instead improvement. What 168 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 3: do you think of that? 169 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 2: Super interesting and it is something that the review did 170 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 2: acknowledge when it was looking at some of the mental 171 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,840 Speaker 2: health concerns about people having cosmetic procedures, and there were 172 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 2: some really interesting research that they cited, which I can 173 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 2: read to you. So, patients with BDD and that's body 174 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 2: dysmorphic disorder often have unrealistic expectations about cosmetic surgery and 175 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 2: are more likely to end up dissatisfied with the results 176 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 2: regardless of the actual outcome. People with BDD are also 177 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 2: more likely to have complications following cosmetic surgery interesting and 178 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 2: have higher rates of reoperation. And so I think the 179 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 2: argument the review is making for these psychological assessments is 180 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 2: that it also just gives people the space to be 181 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 2: better informed and also to be better supported going into 182 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 2: their surgery, and the more informed one is, the better 183 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 2: their outcomes are likely to be. 184 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 3: One of the other criticisms of this that I've been 185 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 3: thinking about is you've just told me how there's problems 186 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 3: with unqualified practitioners in the cosmetic surgery industry, and you 187 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 3: rattled off the number of investigative reports from Australian journalists 188 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:21,680 Speaker 3: over the last couple of years. But then simultaneously we're 189 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 3: now asking those very practitioners to now evaluate mental health. 190 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 3: That seems troublesome to me. 191 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 2: That was definitely a sentiment that appeared in our comments 192 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 2: section when we put up the post about the cosmetic 193 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 2: surgery reforms. And I don't have any answers except to 194 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 2: say that there does seem to be a conflict of interest. 195 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,440 Speaker 2: If someone is selling a service, and this is a 196 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 2: service that is being sold, those practitioners do have an 197 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 2: interest in you having that procedure with them. Interesting, but 198 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 2: I guess what these guidelines are trying to do is 199 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:59,599 Speaker 2: to put more frameworks in place so that these practitioners 200 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:00,719 Speaker 2: a health are accountable. 201 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,000 Speaker 3: If you learn something from today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, 202 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 3: so there's a TDA episode waiting for you every morning. 203 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 3: We'll be back again tomorrow. Until then, have a great day.