Recently in the news was a story of a cosmetic nurse in NSW who has been found guilty of professional misconduct and had her license suspended for 3 months for unsupervised cosmetic injectables. Last week the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal handed down its decision and the news has been a hot topic within the beauty and cosmetic industries where there must be countless similar situations occurring every day.
The nurse, Rosalie Piper had been seeing patients both in a clinic and day spa providing cosmetic injections.
“The tribunal is particularly concerned about the nurse’s treatment of patients at the day spa, given there was not even the possibility for a medical practitioner to become involved in the management plan and treatment of those patients.”
Cosmetic Injections and Fillers
Muscle relaxing injections and cosmetic fillers are allowed to be injected by a nurse but only if under the supervision of a doctor.
“Suitably trained registered nurses can administer S4 medicines for cosmetic purposes after a medical practitioner has consulted the patient and formulated a written treatment plan which includes stating which medications are to be used and the maximum number of procedures and doses of medication to be administered. It is not acceptable for a medical practitioner to on-sell S4 medications to nurses to then administer these to patients.” was stated in the tribunal case notes.
Also the following: “The Tribunal hopes the orders will remind and deter all nurses working in this field of cosmetic medicine to ensure they are practising within the law. The administration of Botox and dermal fillers is a medical procedure that must be medically supervised”
This case will hopefully make doctors and nurses engaging in these unlawful practices to rethink their protocols which can only be in the best interest of the consumer. After all, if something does go wrong it’s vitally important that the prescribing doctor is involved in the case to provide immediate attention if required.
The following points should be taken into consideration before undergoing any cosmetic injections:
- Consider both the benefits and risks that may occur from the treatment
- Make sure you have a face to face consultation with a doctor prior to any injections taking place. The doctor should take a medical history and list of medications you are taking as well as explain the procedure to you.
- Cosmetic injectables such as muscle relaxing injections and dermal fillers are S4 drugs and are only able to be supplied after a consultation with a doctor. A nurse may perform the injections but only after the initial consultation with the doctor has taken place.
- Cheap prices do not always get you the best result – this is your face after all! Look for qualifications and experience over a budget price.
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