NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard is pursuing a clampdown on the body modification industry, which has been described as unregulated and dangerous.

A curtailing of the surrounding legal framework has been ordered after a spate of cases gone wrong, including the alleged genital mutilation of a women in the NSW central coast in 2016.

Dr Bruce Willet says the risks around the activity are immense.

“Whenever we put something that’s foreign into our bodies, there’s a huge chance of either reaction or infection,” explains the Chair of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners QLD.

“Body dysmorphic syndrome is often behind this. This is where people want to look like lizards and vampires and dragons.”

However, the irremediable consequences of the practice are often overlooked.

“I do wonder if these people release these a permanent changes. They can never be undone. People often think medicine can fix anything, that it can be reversed if they changed their mind. But i’m really concerned about the consequences of this down the track.”

Some are saying that the dangers of body modification are a product of its illegality, with the “shady” underground shops administering the procedures a clearly unsafe alternative to legal and professional plastic surgeons.

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