Influencer slams new rule requiring a psychological assessment before getting plastic surgery done

Married At First Sight Australia star-turned-influencer Jessika Power is spitting chips over new regulations against plastic surgery in Australia that will make it harder for people to go under the knife.

The rules imposed by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) will kick off on July 1 and will see people needing a referral from a doctor to meet with a plastic surgeon.

There will also be mandated cooling-off periods between when a patient gives consent and the actual procedure.

In some cases, patients will be advised to seek a psychological assessment before they can be greenlit to go under the knife.

But Power hit out at the regulation change while chatting to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, claiming the changes will clog up Australia's health system.

"You can't make a decision for somebody if they want to improve or change something for themselves," the 30-year-old reality TV star told the radio host.

"Psychologists are going to be inundated with requests from young women, young men, and where's that going to take the healthcare system? I think it comes down to the person."

She added: "If you're old enough to have it done you're old enough to make your own choices."

Mitchell went on to ask her if she promotes unrealistic beauty standards on her social media accounts by showing off to her fans.

The London-based Aussie hit back, stating she uses social media to update her fans on her day-to-day life.

"I would hope that what I say on my platforms, that young women aren't trying to look for this unrealistic beauty standard... everything I do, I still look like myself," she said.

"I'm not trying to achieve, you know, a completely different look."

Powers reckons the MBA should rethink the new laws, arguing it should be up to the patient to make changes to their body as they wish.

"It's a free choice," she said.

"I don't think it should come down to a psychological evaluation."

MBA Chair Anne Tonkin told the Medical Journal Australia that the legislative changes have come as the result of an inquiry commissioned by the Medical Board.

She said the overhaul targets the entire industry, and not what is seen afterward on social media.

"Firstly, we require these procedures to be done in a licensed facility, with proper clinical governance, proper hygiene and infection control systems," she said, as per Body & Soul.

"We’re also making it clear that it needs to be the practitioner themselves giving the patient the information at the beginning, and responsible for appropriate care after the procedure."