Dr. Alicia Teska - Skin Temple Medi Clinic & Spa In Melbourne, Austrailia

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Dr. Alicia Teska Australian Cosmetic Physician

Name: Dr. Alicia Teska                  
Clinic: Skin Temple Medi Clinic & Spa
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Website: skintemple.com.au
That's interesting: Dr. Alicia Teska is a founding fellow of the Australasian College of Aesthetic Medicine.

What is it like practicing cosmetic medicine in Australia?

Cosmetic medicine is much regulated for doctors in Australia, but completely unregulated for any other health provider. It can be very frustrating to find that your previously loyal client is now going to the home of a local plastic surgeon’s nurse to have their Botox injections.

Unsupervised (and uninsured) nurse injecting (of just about any substance at all) is quite rampant in Australia. I get a number of new clients coming in each week who have had treatments in salons or at the nurse’s home, with complaints about the outcome.

Australia regulates its own medical technologies independently of other countries. If the technology has been approved for a use in the USA, it definitely assists to get it through the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia a lot faster.

I have been reported for calling myself a "Cosmetic Physician". In Australia, there is a frightening holier-than-thou attitude towards medical practitioners who work outside of a “Royal College” setting. It is disturbing to see how ignorant many medical practitioners are of the work being done by Cosmetic Physicians. The regulatory body in Australia (AHPRA) would like to see the Cosmetic Physicians who are vocationally registered (Fellows of the RACGP, such as myself) call themselves Specialist GPs. This would be quite misleading to my patients, as I no longer practice the full spectrum of normal General Practice.

There is an opportunity to establish a subspecialty/special interest group of General Practice in Cosmetic Medicine/Dermatology. I think it’s likely that a group of us who work exclusively in that area will get together and put Cosmetic Medicine on the map in this country.. if the politics allow!

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Dr. Naomi McCullum - Personal Botique Cosmetic Medicine In Sydney, Australia

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Dr. Naomi McCullum, Sydney Australia Cosmetic Physician

Bridging the gap from old school to new: How Dr. Naomi McCullum embraced social media marketing.

Name: Dr. Naomi McCullum
Clinic: Dr. Naomi
Location: Sydney, Australia
Website: drnaomi.com.au 

Dr. McCullum worked at several of the leading cosmetic/dermatology clinics in Sydney, and after being admitted as an inaugural Fellow of the Faculty of Medicine of the Australian College of Cosmetic Surgery, opened her own botique cosmetic clinic in Paddington in 2002. 

Can you tell us a bit about your career path?

I first had Botox myself as a young resident shortly after graduating from Medicine. On that day, I saw my future in the industry. Being a cosmetic patient and a proceduralist at heart, there was no choice in the matter. I have always been interested in all branches of the aesthetic tree, from design, fashion and architecture to beauty. It is more than a job for me.

I love having just one boutique clinic, as we can really focus on offering the ultimate specialized service to our patients. This attracts a certain type of client, which makes every day fun and interesting.

What is it like practicing cosmetic medicine in Australia in comparison with what you see in other countries?

The practice of cosmetic medicine is quite unregulated in Australia, with many non-doctors like nurses and dentists, involved in the industry. The laser/IPL industry in most states of Australia is also poorly regulated.

Another difference between what we have to deal with in Austrailian and other countries are the legal requirements for online activity in our industry.

In Australia we are not allowed to mention any of the generic or brand names of the injectables that we use on our websites or through social media. For example, we cannot use the words "Botox", "Restylane", "Juvederm" or even "Hyaluronic Acid" or "Botulinum toxin" anywhere online, which as you can imagine, makes it difficult to educate readers / patients. Potential patients have a right to know what products we supply; they also have a right to know comparisons between products that they might be choosing. The regulations also prevent me from having a useful online discussion publicly with colleagues overseas and in Australia about cosmetic treatments. The Australian regulations are paternalistic and harmful to our patients and industry, and need to...

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Dr. Herbert Hooi, Cosmetic Physician In Sydney, Australia

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Australian Cosmetic Physician Herbert Hooi MBBS (Syd) LLB (Hons) (UWA) FACEM Dr. Hooi takes center stage as he discusses the prevailing structure of cosmetic medicine in Sydney, Australia.

Name: Herbert Hooi MBBS (Syd) LLB (Hons) (UWA) FACEM
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Website: drhooi.com.au

That's interesting: Dr. Hooi completed an Honours Law degree at the University of Western Australia and obtained further real-world legal experience with a top tier Australian law firm. Dr. Hooi has been admitted to practice as a Solicitor and Barrister of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Although he is no longer practising law, Dr. Hooi maintains a keen interest in legal medicine.

Dr. Hooi is a member of the Australasian Society of Cosmetic Medicine and is an Associate Member of the American Society of Laser Surgery and Medicine. Dr. Hooi’s training and experience led to his award as a Foundation Fellow of the Australasian College of Aesthetic Medicine in 2009.

In 2010, Dr. Hooi was selected to become the national trainer in Australia for the Fibropen System, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and Radiesse.  

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