MEDICAL PROTECTION SOCIETY

PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT AND EXPERT ADVICE

Advice on aesthetic
practice for doctors
Advice correct as of March 2015

SINGAPORE
ENGLAND FACTSHEET
The guidance document Guidelines on Aesthetic Practices for Doctors was drawn up by the Academy of
Medicine, Singapore (AMS), College of Family Physicians, Singapore (CFPS) and the Singapore Medical Council
(SMC), in 2008. This factsheet summarises the professional obligations imposed on doctors working in
aesthetic practice.

FACTSHEET
What is aesthetic practice? List B procedures cannot be advertised, and can only be
performed under a research framework, ie, as a clinical
Aesthetic practice is defined as an area of practice trial, or as a series of before-and-after studies with
involving “operations and other procedures that revise or enough scientific rigour to show evidence of the
change the appearance, colour, texture, structure, or procedure’s effectiveness and safety.
position of bodily features, which most would consider
otherwise to be within the broad range of “normal” for Singapore Medical Council’s Ethical Code and Ethical
that person.” Guidelines requires doctors to provide treatment in
accordance with generally accepted methods and
Any aesthetic treatment must go beyond the principle of states: “It is not acceptable to experiment or authorise
“do no harm” and be seen to benefit the patient positively. experiments or research which are not part of a formal
clinical trial and which are not primarily part of treatment
Designation of aesthetic practice or in the best interest of the patient, or which could
cause undue suffering or threat to the life of the patient.”
Aesthetic practice is not seen as a specialty, and so titles
such as “aesthetic plastic surgeon”, “aesthetic List B procedures should not be performed unless all
dermatologist” or “aesthetic physician” cannot be used. other conventional or evidence-based treatments and
procedures have been used on the patient without good
All doctors involved in aesthetic practice should comply outcomes, and if the doctor reasonably believes the
with Section 64 and Section 65 of the Medical patient will benefit from the procedure and that the
Registration Act when displaying or using any proposed treatment poses very minimal or no health risk
qualification, title, or designation for publicity purposes. to the patient. MPS advises doctors to keep detailed
records of any discussions about treatment options with
Classification of aesthetic procedures patients and their associated risks and benefits.

The guidance classifies aesthetic procedures into two The SMC recommends that any doctor performing
lists, based on currently available scientific evidence: aesthetic procedures has sufficient and appropriate
indemnity and should also ensure that their clinical and
List A – Moderate to high level of evidence and/or local technical skills are kept up-to-date.
medical expert consensus that the procedure is well-
established and acceptable (eg, chemical peels, For List A aesthetic procedures, doctors who have
microdermabrasion, liposuction and rhinoplasty). acquired a training certificate but have not performed the
requisite number of cases done with good outcomes
List B – Low or very low level of evidence and/or local can submit a notification to the SMC to verify whether
medical expert consensus that the procedure is neither they are competent to perform aesthetic procedures.
well-established nor acceptable (eg, skin whitening
injections, stem cell activator protein for skin Doctors who wish to undertake List B procedures must
rejuvenation). notify the SMC’s Aesthetic Practice Oversight
Committee on the designated form before carrying out
For the full list, see Guidelines on Aesthetic Practices for any such procedures. Doctors providing List B services
Doctors, pp 2-5. will be subject to regular audit by the Ministry of Health.

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 SINGAPORE FACTSHEET
Compliance Further information
Doctors who perform any aesthetic procedure not in ■■  uidelines on Aesthetic Practices for Doctors (2008)
G
accordance with SMC or MOH guidelines may be liable – www.smc.gov.sg
for disciplinary action by the SMC.
■■  ingapore Medical Council, Ethical Code and Ethical
S
Indemnity Guidelines – www.smc.gov.sg

Members undertaking aesthetic procedures should

Note: The Guidelines do not apply to beauty parlours,

For medicolegal advice please call us on: This factsheet provides only a general overview of the topic and should not be relied upon as definitive
guidance. If you are an MPS member, and you are facing an ethical or legal dilemma, call and ask to speak
to a medicolegal adviser, who will give you specific advice.
800 616 7055 MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the
Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Medical Protection Society Limited. A company limited by
or email us at: querydoc@mps.org.uk guarantee. Registered in England No. 36142 at 33 Cavendish Square, London, W1G OPS.

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