On regulation: Having moved to Sydney from London in 2015, it's interesting to reflect on both countries' situations. For one reason only I believe that Australia is in a better position than the UK– it is illegal for non-medically trained professionals to inject at all. Toxins, fillers and Belkyra (Allergan’s fat-dissolving injections) are classified as prescription drugs and so all of the commonly-used products need a prescribers authority to use them.
However we are not perfect by any means. Like most countries we lack a formal injectables qualification to demonstrate competence. This means that patients cannot easily do their research into an injector’s skill level or experience. So for example, an RN could graduate, decide to avoid doing any clinical experience in a hospital and could start working as an injector from day one.
We also lack any common leadership or unified professional organisation to represent all of the injector professions as one group. Instead we have a number of self-appointed and self-regulated…
