The overriding aim of the College is easily summarized:
“Raising standards... protecting patients”
Dedicated to Excellence in Training
Medical Practitioners, who wish to specialize in a particular field, obtain post graduate training from the learned Colleges. Cosmetic surgery and medicine has emerged as a new specialty and thus has not been a significant part of the training of any of the established Colleges. Indeed any doctor wishing to specialize in this field had no option but to acquire privately organized training on an apprenticeship basis. This training was not subject to any quality controls and varied greatly in its quality. Some doctors obtained adequate appropriate training and others did not.
To fill this vacuum The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery was established in 1999 as a multi-disciplinary body consisting of general surgeons, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, ear nose and throat surgeons, ophthalmologists and other doctors who were already specializing in cosmetic surgery.
It was the successor to the Australian Association of Cosmetic Surgery, which was formed in 1992. The College has a medical faculty which accredits cosmetic physicians and a surgical faculty which accredits cosmetic surgeons.
The College believes that patients will be best served with cosmetic surgery and medicine being officially recognized as a new specialty. This will help to remove the confusion about the training and skills of different types of doctors offering cosmetic services. The college does not seek a monopoly in the provision of cosmetic surgical or medical services and is keen to work cooperatively with other craft groups to raise standards. The ACCS is though, the only group in Australia with a single focus on cosmetic surgery and medicine and is the only one which offers formal training and accreditation in cosmetic medicine and surgery.
So how qualified is your cosmetic doctor?
Are they a Fellow of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery?
Do they have the right to display these symbols?
These symbols denote that not only is the doctor a Fellow of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery but also they have successfully participated in a continuing education and recertification programme.
This, unlike that of other Colleges, is specific for cosmetic medicine and surgery.
Are you seeking an invasive surgical procedure?
How to choose a doctor for the right cosmetic procedure