Credit: Sam Moghadam via Unsplash
New guidelines took effect this week toughening advertising rules for non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
These clarify how the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) will interpret and enforce existing advertising regulations.
These apply to all advertisers from health practitioners and clinics to marketing agencies and social media influencers.
Under both existing law and the new AHPRA guidelines, it is unlawful to directly or indirectly advertise prescription-only injectables, including product names, brand names such as Botox and Juvederm, nicknames such as "tox" and "baby botox", hashtags referencing these terms and treatment prices.
Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said practitioners have had since May to get their houses in order and make sure their practice and advertising complies with the new guidelines.
“Practitioners have been warned. If we find practitioners prioritising profits over patient care, we will not hesitate to act,” he said.
“Patient safety must come first.”
The advertising changes require ads only use real images and avoid airbrushing or editing that misleads the public
And commercials must have a warning that results may vary for other patients in advertisements using images.
Testimonials from social media influencers are banned.
The cosmetic injectables industry is valued at $4.1 billion and forecast to grow 19.3% a year to 2030.
In the last financial year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration requested the removal of nearly 13,500 advertisements from online platforms.
"With the new AHPRA guidelines now in effect, the time for practitioners and marketers to act is no longer 'before September,' but right now," said Alison Lee, a director of review and classification service ClearAds.
"Regulators are taking a firm stance, and businesses that fail to align their advertising with these rules are at risk of a public compliance action.
“Our message is clear: businesses must audit their social media, websites, and influencer content immediately."
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