01Reference · Glossary
The words used —
in plain English.
Consent forms, quotes and register entries are written in a vocabulary nobody is taught. This page defines 73 of those words: the regulatory ones that decide who may do what, the clinical ones that appear on a risk list, and the anatomical ones in an operation note. Search it, or read a section. Every definition links to the page or the regulator it comes from.
Reviewed by Dr Kishen Nara MBBS FACCSM(Surg) · AHPRA MED0001201549 Last reviewed
02How to use it
Definitions here are general. They explain what a word means, not what applies to you: what an operation involves in your case, and which risks are relevant to you, come from a consultation with a practitioner who has examined you. A complication listed under recovery and risk is on the list because it is recognised, not because it is expected.
A term with a link to a Rev Aesthetic page takes you to the longer explanation. A term with a regulator's link takes you to the primary source, so you can read it yourself rather than take our summary of it. Each entry has its own web address, so a single definition can be shared or cited on its own.
No term matches that. Try a shorter word, or .
03Registration and regulation
Registration and regulation.
Who is allowed to do what in Australia, which body decides it, and what the letters after a practitioner's name represent.
- ACCSM Permanent link to this definition Also: Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine
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The Australasian college whose training program is built specifically around cosmetic medicine and surgery. It examines and admits fellows, and runs the annual COSMETEX scientific conference.
- Advertising guidelines Permanent link to this definition
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The rules governing how a regulated health service may be advertised. They prohibit testimonials about clinical care, misleading claims, and anything that encourages the unnecessary use of a service, and they restrict how before-and-after images may be shown. They apply to a practice's own website and social accounts, not only to paid advertisements.
- AHPRA Permanent link to this definition Also: Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
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The national agency that registers health practitioners in Australia and maintains the public register, working with the National Boards for 16 regulated professions. It also handles notifications, which is the formal word for a concern raised about a practitioner.
- Conditions on registration Permanent link to this definition Also: undertakings · reprimand
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Restrictions recorded on a practitioner's register entry: a condition limits what they may do or requires supervision, an undertaking is a binding commitment given to the Board, and a reprimand is a published formal rebuke. They appear below the status line on the entry, which is why the whole entry is worth reading.
- Cosmetic surgery endorsement Permanent link to this definition
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A mechanism, introduced with the cosmetic surgery reforms, for the register to show that a doctor has completed training in cosmetic surgery assessed against Australian Medical Council standards and approved by the Medical Board. An endorsement does not carry the protected title of surgeon, which stays tied to specialist registration.
- FACCSM(Surg) Permanent link to this definition Also: Fellow of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine
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Fellowship of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine through its surgical faculty, earned through a structured program of training, examinations and supervised operating. It sits outside the specialist registration system, so it is not shown on the register as a specialty and does not carry the protected title of surgeon.
- General registration Permanent link to this definition
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The registration type held by a doctor who has met the requirements to practise medicine in Australia without supervision. It is the ordinary registration type for a doctor and does not indicate training in any particular field. Dr Kishen Nara holds general registration, MED0001201549.
- MBBS Permanent link to this definition Also: Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
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The primary medical degree in Australia, the qualification that allows a graduate to apply for registration as a doctor. Dr Nara completed his at Monash University in 2006.
- Medical Board of Australia Permanent link to this definition
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The National Board responsible for doctors. It sets the registration standards, the codes of conduct and the guidelines that doctors performing cosmetic procedures must work within, and AHPRA administers them.
- Notification Permanent link to this definition Also: complaint
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The formal term for a concern raised with AHPRA about a registered practitioner. Anyone may make one, including a person who was never the practitioner's patient, and concerns about advertising may be raised the same way.
- Protected title Permanent link to this definition
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A title that the National Law reserves for practitioners who hold particular registration. Under that law the title of surgeon may only be used by a medical practitioner holding specialist registration in surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, or ophthalmology, and the protection extends to compound forms. This is why Dr Nara is described throughout this site as a cosmetic doctor.
- Register of practitioners Permanent link to this definition Also: AHPRA register · public register
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The free public record of every registered health practitioner in Australia. Searchable by name or registration number with no account, it shows registration status and type, any specialty, any endorsement, and any condition, undertaking or reprimand.
- Specialist registration Permanent link to this definition
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An additional registration type held by a practitioner whose specialist qualification is recognised for their field, such as plastic surgery, general surgery or dermatology. Where it is held, the register names the specialty and the field of specialty practice.
- TGA Permanent link to this definition Also: Therapeutic Goods Administration
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The Australian regulator for medicines, medical devices and the advertising of both. Breast implants, injectable prescription medicines and surgical devices are all therapeutic goods, and the TGA publishes safety alerts about them.
04Consultation and decision
Consultation and decision.
The steps a patient is entitled to before any cosmetic operation, and the money and paperwork words that come up along the way.
- Body dysmorphic disorder Permanent link to this definition Also: BDD
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A recognised mental health condition involving preoccupation with a perceived flaw in appearance that others see as slight or not at all. Cosmetic surgery is not a treatment for it, which is why screening forms part of a cosmetic assessment and why some patients are referred rather than operated on.
- Cooling-off period Permanent link to this definition
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A required wait between consenting to a cosmetic operation and having it. For adults the guidelines set a minimum of seven days after informed consent is given, and a longer period applies to patients under 18. It exists so a decision is never made in one sitting.
- Day-of-surgery admission Permanent link to this definition Also: DOSA
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Admission to the facility on the morning of the operation rather than the night before. It is the usual arrangement for the procedures performed here.
- Gap Permanent link to this definition Also: out-of-pocket
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The difference between what a practitioner charges and what Medicare or a health fund pays. Where an item number applies, the gap is the amount that remains yours to pay.
- GP referral Permanent link to this definition Also: referral
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A written referral from your usual general practitioner. Under the Medical Board's cosmetic surgery guidelines a referral is required before a first cosmetic surgery consultation, and it is not optional at this practice. Your GP knows your history, so the referral is also the first independent opinion on the plan.
- Informed consent Permanent link to this definition
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Agreement to a procedure given after the risks, the alternatives including doing nothing, the recovery, and the costs have been explained and understood. It is a conversation recorded in writing, not a form you sign on the day, and it can be withdrawn at any point before the operation.
- Medicare Benefits Schedule Permanent link to this definition Also: MBS
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The Commonwealth listing of medical services that attract a Medicare rebate, with the criteria and the scheduled fee for each. It is public, and the criteria for a given item can be read in full.
- Medicare item number Permanent link to this definition Also: MBS item
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A code in the Medicare Benefits Schedule that attaches a rebate to a specific medical service. A procedure attracts an item number only where it meets the clinical criteria written into that item, so the same operation may be claimable for one patient and not another. Purely cosmetic procedures do not attract a rebate.
- Pre-operative assessment Permanent link to this definition Also: pre-op
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The review before an operation covering medical history, medicines, allergies, smoking, previous anaesthetics and relevant tests. It is where a plan gets adjusted or postponed if something in your history warrants it.
- Psychological assessment Permanent link to this definition
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An assessment of a patient's motivations and expectations, required by the guidelines where there are indications of an underlying psychological condition. For patients under 18 an assessment by a registered psychologist, psychiatrist or general practitioner is mandatory.
- Quote Permanent link to this definition Also: estimate · fee estimate
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A written figure for a planned procedure. A complete one itemises the doctor's fee, the anaesthetist's fee where one is involved, the facility or theatre fee, and follow-up reviews, and states what would trigger an additional cost. An estimate that names one number without itemising is worth a question.
- Second opinion Permanent link to this definition
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An assessment of the same question by another appropriately qualified practitioner. Seeking one is encouraged before any cosmetic procedure, and asking your treating doctor to suggest someone is a reasonable request.
05Anaesthesia and theatre
Anaesthesia and theatre.
How an operation is made comfortable, who is in the room, and where it is performed.
- Accredited day facility Permanent link to this definition Also: day hospital · licensed facility
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A licensed and accredited facility for procedures where you go home the same day. Accreditation covers staffing, sterilisation, equipment and emergency procedures, and cosmetic surgery involving sedation or general anaesthesia must be performed in one.
- Anaesthetist Permanent link to this definition
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A separately registered medical practitioner who administers the anaesthetic and monitors you during the operation. They bill separately and have their own entry on the AHPRA register, so they can be looked up in the same way as your doctor.
- General anaesthetic Permanent link to this definition Also: GA
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Medicine that produces controlled unconsciousness for the duration of an operation, given and monitored throughout by an anaesthetist. It is an option for patients who prefer it for procedures usually done under local anaesthetic, and it is required for some larger operations.
- Local anaesthetic Permanent link to this definition
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Medicine injected into the area being operated on, which numbs that area while you stay awake. Several of the procedures performed here are done this way, often with light oral sedation alongside.
- Oral sedation Permanent link to this definition
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Medicine taken by mouth before a procedure to make you calm and drowsy while remaining rousable. It is lighter than a general anaesthetic and does not involve a breathing tube.
- Theatre fee Permanent link to this definition Also: facility fee
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The facility's charge for the operating theatre, nursing staff, consumables and recovery time. It is separate from the doctor's fee and from the anaesthetist's fee, and it belongs on an itemised quote.
- Tumescent anaesthesia Permanent link to this definition
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A local anaesthetic technique in which a large volume of dilute anaesthetic solution is infiltrated into the tissue, firming it and narrowing small blood vessels. It is the usual technique for liposuction and for labiaplasty at this practice.
06Procedures
Procedures.
The operations themselves, under both their clinical names and the words patients usually search for.
- Abdominoplasty Permanent link to this definition Also: tummy tuck
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Surgery that removes excess abdominal skin and fat and, where present, repairs separated abdominal muscles. It leaves a scar across the lower abdomen, and often repositions the navel.
- Blepharoplasty Permanent link to this definition Also: eyelid lift · eyelid surgery
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Surgery on the upper or lower eyelids to remove or reposition skin, muscle and fat. Where upper eyelid skin obstructs the field of vision, an operation may meet the criteria for a Medicare item number.
- Breast augmentation Permanent link to this definition Also: breast implants
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Surgery that places an implant to increase breast volume. Implant type, size, shape, the plane it sits in and the incision used are all decisions made at consultation, and implants are therapeutic goods regulated by the TGA.
- Capsulectomy Permanent link to this definition Also: en bloc
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Removal of the scar-tissue capsule that forms around a breast implant. A total capsulectomy removes the whole capsule; en bloc describes removing the capsule and implant together as one unit. Which is appropriate depends on the reason for removal and what is found at operation.
- Ear lobe repair Permanent link to this definition
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A minor procedure under local anaesthetic to repair a split, stretched or torn ear lobe, whether from a heavy earring, a tear, or a healed gauge piercing.
- Explant Permanent link to this definition Also: implant removal
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Removal of breast implants, with or without removal of the surrounding capsule and with or without a lift at the same time. Patients request it for symptoms, for a device concern, or simply because they no longer want the implants.
- Fat grafting Permanent link to this definition Also: lipofilling · fat transfer
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Fat taken by liposuction from one area, processed, and injected into another. A proportion of the grafted fat does not survive, and how much varies between patients, which is why a result is assessed months later rather than immediately.
- Gynaecomastia surgery Permanent link to this definition Also: male breast reduction
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Surgery for enlarged male breast tissue, typically combining liposuction of the fatty component with excision of the firmer glandular tissue behind the nipple. Gynaecomastia itself is a common condition with hormonal, medicine-related and idiopathic causes.
- Hymenoplasty Permanent link to this definition Also: hymen repair · anatomical revirgination
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Surgery to repair or reconstruct the hymen, usually performed under local anaesthetic with light oral sedation. Patients approach it from a range of cultural, religious and personal contexts, and the consultation is confidential.
- Labiaplasty Permanent link to this definition Also: labia reduction
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Surgery to reduce or reshape the labia minora, and in some cases the labia majora or the clitoral hood. It is usually performed under local anaesthetic with light oral sedation. Reasons patients give range from physical discomfort with clothing, exercise or intercourse through to appearance.
- Lipo 360 Permanent link to this definition
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Liposuction treating the full circumference of the torso in one operation, rather than a single area, so the front, flanks and back are addressed together.
- Liposuction Permanent link to this definition Also: lipo
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Removal of fat from a defined area through small incisions using a cannula, usually under tumescent local anaesthetic. It treats localised fat deposits and is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for weight loss.
- Mastopexy Permanent link to this definition Also: breast lift
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Surgery that raises and reshapes the breast by removing excess skin and repositioning the nipple-areola complex, without adding an implant. It is sometimes combined with an implant in one operation.
- Nipple inversion correction Permanent link to this definition
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A short operation that releases the tethered ducts and fibrous tissue holding a nipple inward. Grading depends on how readily the nipple protrudes and whether it stays out, and the release can affect the ducts, which is relevant if future breastfeeding matters to you.
- Penile augmentation Permanent link to this definition
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Procedures that increase penile girth or apparent length, most commonly by fat grafting or by suspensory ligament release. The consultation covers what each approach does and does not address.
- Revision surgery Permanent link to this definition
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A second operation on an area already operated on, whether by the same practitioner or another one. Revision is a recognised part of surgical practice rather than evidence that something went wrong, and the possibility of it belongs in the first consultation.
- SAP technique Permanent link to this definition Also: Selective Anatomic Preservation
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Selective Anatomic Preservation, the surgical approach Dr Nara uses for labiaplasty, in which the anatomy to be kept is planned before anything is removed. It was the subject of his 2020 paper in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open and of a presentation at IMCAS Paris in 2018.
07Anatomy
Anatomy.
Anatomical terms that appear in consent forms and operation notes, written plainly.
- Clitoral hood Permanent link to this definition Also: prepuce
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The fold of tissue covering the clitoris, continuous with the upper labia minora. Where it is addressed surgically it is usually as part of a labiaplasty rather than on its own.
- Glandular tissue Permanent link to this definition
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The firm, fibrous breast tissue, as distinct from the softer fat around it. The difference matters in gynaecomastia surgery because liposuction addresses fat while glandular tissue has to be excised.
- Inframammary fold Permanent link to this definition Also: IMF
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The crease where the lower breast meets the chest wall. It is a landmark for planning breast surgery and a common site for an incision.
- Labia majora Permanent link to this definition Also: outer labia
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The outer pair of vulval folds. They can change in volume with weight change and with age, and are addressed in a different operation from the labia minora.
- Labia minora Permanent link to this definition Also: inner labia
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The inner pair of vulval folds. Size, length and asymmetry between the two sides vary widely between people, and variation is not in itself abnormal.
- Nipple-areola complex Permanent link to this definition Also: NAC · areola
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The nipple and the pigmented skin around it, treated as one unit in breast surgery because its blood supply and nerve supply travel together. Its position and diameter are both things a breast lift can change.
- Ptosis Permanent link to this definition Also: droop
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The clinical word for a structure sitting lower than its usual position. Breast ptosis is graded by where the nipple sits relative to the inframammary fold; eyelid ptosis describes an upper lid resting low over the eye.
- Rectus diastasis Permanent link to this definition Also: abdominal separation · diastasis recti
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Separation of the two vertical abdominal muscles along the midline, most often after pregnancy. It is a separation of the connective tissue between them rather than a tear in the muscle, and it is repaired as part of an abdominoplasty.
08Recovery and risk
Recovery and risk.
Words that appear on a risk list or in a follow-up review. Listing a complication here is not a prediction that it will happen to you.
- Altered sensation Permanent link to this definition Also: numbness · paraesthesia
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Numbness, tingling or heightened sensitivity in or around an operated area, caused by small nerves being divided or stretched. It commonly improves over months, and in some areas a degree of change is permanent.
- Asymmetry Permanent link to this definition
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Difference between two sides. Some asymmetry is present before any operation in most people, surgery cannot be expected to remove it entirely, and residual asymmetry appears on the consent form for paired structures.
- BIA-ALCL Permanent link to this definition Also: breast implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma
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A rare cancer of the immune system that can develop in the capsule around a textured breast implant. It is not breast cancer. The TGA publishes current Australian information on it, and late swelling of one breast is the usual reason to investigate.
- Breast implant illness Permanent link to this definition Also: BII
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A patient-reported term for a group of systemic symptoms, such as fatigue and joint pain, that some people attribute to their implants. It is not a formal diagnosis and research is ongoing. Some patients request explant for these symptoms, and the consultation covers what removal may and may not change.
- Capsular contracture Permanent link to this definition
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Tightening and thickening of the scar capsule that forms around a breast implant, which can make the breast feel firm, change its shape, or become uncomfortable. It is graded from one to four, and treatment for the higher grades is surgical.
- Compression garment Permanent link to this definition
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A close-fitting garment worn after liposuction or body surgery to limit swelling and support the tissues while they settle. How long it is worn is set by the treating practitioner, not by a general rule.
- Contour irregularity Permanent link to this definition
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Unevenness of the surface of an operated area, such as a dip or ridge after liposuction. It appears on the risk list for body procedures and is assessed once swelling has settled rather than in the early weeks.
- Drain Permanent link to this definition
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A soft tube left in place after some operations to carry away fluid that would otherwise collect. It is removed at a follow-up review once the volume it produces falls below a set level.
- Follow-up review Permanent link to this definition
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A scheduled appointment after surgery to check healing, remove sutures or drains, and answer questions. Reviews are part of the surgical episode, and how many are included belongs on the written quote.
- Haematoma Permanent link to this definition
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A collection of blood in the tissues after surgery. A small one may settle on its own; a large or expanding one usually needs a return to theatre to drain it, and it is one of the reasons early swelling is reviewed rather than watched.
- Hypertrophic scar Permanent link to this definition
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A raised, red scar that stays within the boundary of the original wound. It often settles over months, and it is distinct from a keloid.
- Keloid Permanent link to this definition
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Scar tissue that grows beyond the boundary of the original wound. A personal or family history of keloid scarring is relevant to any surgical decision and belongs in the consultation.
- Oedema Permanent link to this definition Also: swelling
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Fluid held in the tissues, the ordinary cause of swelling after surgery. It generally reduces over weeks to months, and it is the reason the appearance of an operated area at two weeks is not the settled appearance.
- Seroma Permanent link to this definition
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A collection of clear tissue fluid in a space created by surgery. It is drained with a needle where it is large or persistent, and compression garments and drains are both used to reduce the chance of one forming.
- Wound dehiscence Permanent link to this definition
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Partial separation of a healing wound edge. Small separations are usually managed with dressings and time; larger ones may need resuturing, and they are more likely where tissue is under tension or a patient smokes.
09What it is not
A vocabulary —
not an assessment.
Reading a definition here does not establish that a procedure is appropriate for you, and nothing on this page ranks one operation against another. The sequence that does answer those questions is set out in our note on consultations and the cooling-off period: a referral from your usual GP, an assessment, a written quote, a minimum seven-day wait after consent, and a second opinion whenever you want one.
If a word you met is missing, tell us and we will define it. You can raise it through the enquiry form, and asking about a word commits you to nothing.
10Read the sources yourself
Primary sources —
all publicly available.
- Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures, Medical Board of Australia. The source for the referral, consent, cooling-off and assessment terms.
- Register of practitioners, AHPRA, and Types of registration, Medical Board of Australia. The source for the registration and protected-title terms.
- Breast implant hub, Therapeutic Goods Administration. Current Australian information on implant devices and BIA-ALCL.
- Medicare Benefits Schedule, Department of Health and Aged Care. The criteria attached to each item number, in full.
11About the practitioner
Dr Kishen
Nara.
Dr Kishen Nara is a registered medical practitioner who consults in Melbourne, Tasmania and Adelaide. The definitions on this page are reviewed against his own consultation and consent language, and against the regulators' current published guidance.
- MBBSBachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Monash University)
- FACCSM(Surg)Surgical Fellow, Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine
- AHPRARegistered medical practitioner, General Registration MED0001201549
Disclaimer: All cosmetic procedures have inherent potential risks and complications. We encourage you to seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified medical practitioner before any procedure. Material on this page is educational in nature and is not generalisable — outcomes vary significantly between patients depending on genetic composition, medical history and individual circumstances. Definitions summarise publicly available clinical and regulatory information and are not medical or legal advice. For more information regarding surgical risks, please visit risks of surgery. Dr Kishen Nara — MBBS, FACCSM(Surg), AHPRA Registration MED0001201549. General Registration.