Aesthetics Nursing

fawnsternurse · Mar 16, 2009

Wow. I am very glad that I was directed to this thread by willitblend.

I have a lot of questions and thoughts running through my mind right at this moment. But I am also appreciative of much of the dialogue and information presented on this thread and will start to do my own investigation into this.

I am currently in NYC but heading down to NC and will be on a travel assignement. During this time I will be taking a Nurse estethician course.

I did notice in NYC many places are looking to hire nurses for their practice in this area.

Hey there is no shame in my game! LOL

I will gladly at this time work normal hours in a medical spa type place VS what I have been doing!

Thank everyone!

PJ rn · May 4, 2009

Saw your post and am transitioning from wound care into aesthetics. In nursing for over 24 years, and have developed and managed seven busy wound clinics. Just wondering how your practice is going with the inclusion of aesthetics. We (physician and myself) are considering adding medical wt loss to help feed the aesthetic side. Would love to hear from you if still in the forum.

Got Botox? · May 21, 2009

I'm with National Laser Institute in Scottsdale, AZ. We train nurses from all over the states in Botox, Dermal Fillers etc... I'm surrounded by nurses entering/working in this industry everyday. The best advice I can give a nurse wanting to enter Medical Aesthetics is 1) Get to know the regulations in your state because they are forever changing, or consider commuting to a nearby state that is in driving distance where you can practice. 2) Create a plan for youself, whether to co-locate with a medical director, rent out an office in an OB/GYN facility or PP, travel contract or the bravest of all, start your own business. Its all about securing a location and building up your clientelle. 3) Go get the training. Wherever you decided to get the training, just make sure that the school is credible, the instructors are experienced, the technology they have is top-notch and the hands-on portion is abundant. A lot of nurses opt for the 1 or 2 day conferences and we see them all the time, not being able to acquire a job because the hands-on training was too little or not personalized enough. Employers are going to want someone with cosmetic injection experience. 4) Get to know the specialty from a business standpoint, after all, it is a cash operating industry. Look for a school with a business or marketing course that can lay out a good foundation for you to start with.

Hope this helps!

Happy Nursing.

thekid · May 21, 2009

Thank you for the info so far, would you recommend that a RN go thru the basic 600 hour esthetician course (if no previous experience with derm care) or go straight for the para-medical advanced training? I've seen many esty schools offer both the basic programs that are about 600 hours and start with basic care..and many also offer what they call the medical-esty coursework that is a series of modules, that cover dermal/botox, facial peels, hair removal, etc.

In your opinion should nurses who want to break into this field go thru the basic training first , or go for the advanced portion?

I think there are many options open to nurses in this area..the plastic surgeon that I know personally does everything from surgical procedures like implants, lipo, etc and also has a medical spa that does advanced skin care. He employs estheticians for the basic facial work..as a nurse obviously I would prefer to use the extra schooling I've had to do more advanced procedures. His nurses are responsible for pre and post op care, and pre-surg screening/physicals. I talked with his nurse and the job is cake :)

InWithSkin · May 21, 2009

Good thread!

Got Botox? · May 21, 2009

Dear thekid,

That's a good question, and one that I hear a lot! Ok, let me try and break it down for you without any biased opinions, because National Laser Institute does not offer the regular aestheticians course (we are strictly CE/CME advanced clinical medical aesthetics for nurses and physicians) and I don't want to steer you away from you're own decision.

1) If an RN, NP or PA would like to become certified as an Aesthetician and go through the typical 4-6 months of schooling in addition to core training for advanced medical aesthetics (botox, fillers, laser), that's wonderful! That decision is purely a matter of preference, time and money... not a matter of becoming more qualified or educated to perform cosmetic injections or laser skin services.

2) The preference that I speak of deals with what you are to be using that additional schooling for, because what one will be learning throughout the 600 hours of aesthetic training is quite different from what one will be learning in an advanced clinical medical aesthetics course. Both teach modalities related to skin, tissue, muscle and hair... however, the 600 hour regular aestheticians course will relay it to facials, tissue massage, facial waxing, exfoliants, extractions, lyphatic massage drainage, steaming, history of aesthetics, skincare etc... If you want to learn these techniques, that's great, just make sure that you will be performing them at your job. On the flip side, the advanced medical aesthetics course will relay it to skin interaction with lasers or intense pulse light machines, muscle/tissue response to botulinum type A or hyaluronic acid fillers, skin conditions treatable by these modalities, correct laser settings for different skin types/conditions, dilution ccs of botox/fillers for different facial creases, folds, wrinkles, etc...

3) Please be cautious and really research any program that offers a 600-700hr course on BOTH regular aesthetics (waxing, facials, skincare, product) and clinical medical aesthetics (botox, filler, laser, IPL). There is no way one course can give you all that you need to learn for safe practice of both modalities. Basically, it takes all 600ish hours to complete a regular aestheticians course - pretty intense and worth it if thats what you want. Most times, if they tag in medical aesthetics, its usually at the end, or in spurts, and not fully dedicated to. In order to truly learn and safely perform botox, fillers, laser, IPL treatments, I recommend a complete comprehensive course in just that. Again, go anywhere you want to go, but just make sure you do the research and drill away with questions before signing a check. Get the best training for the safety of your clients and the protection of yourself!

4) The money talk! And its really difficult NOT to give biased opinions here because its just plain old fact. It takes, what... I think around 30-45-60 minutes to get a solid facial which starts around $50 and can go as high as $200 in exclusive resorts or spas. It takes 5 minutes to facial wax or 20 min to leg wax, but the cost is around $15-50. It takes 10-15 minutes to inject botox. Botox costs the provider about $400 a vial with 100 units in each vial. A good provider who DOES NOT overdilute Botox with saline (correct amount 2.5 cc) can treat 2-4 areas of the face. The average cost of Botox is $12-15 per unit. The average person requires 35-45 units per treatment. The same with lasers, which although the machines are expensive (buying is rough, leasing is better, getting in somewhere that already has them is the best), the cost of typical laser/IPL treatments, Photofacials, laser hair removal, Fractional Laser wrinkle reduction can be anywhere from $500-2,000. The cost to revenue to time ratio is huge.

5) A lot of my nurses and physicians who want the regular aesthetician training as well as the advanced clinical medical aesthetic training, opt to the advanced clinical medical aesthetic training first. Most good courses for a comprehensive background in this will be 7-14 days. That way, they get classroom and hands-on training botox, fillers, laser, IPL, and can go out and work somewhere part-time or contract part-time to still make money while they go on to take the 600 hour aestheticians course.

I hope this helps. Again, a decision based on preference, time and money.

REESiE,RN · May 22, 2009

so renting is better than purchasing... where do you find a lease machine?

sharonshiatsu · Jun 3, 2009

I too was trying to get into the field but the $1200 fee per class at the Institute was a bit steep for just one class! I did find someone local who also does training but she charges $1500 for one class! I mean yes, the treatments are expensive for the clients but come on....$1200 or $1500 for a day of training!!! Jeez, what a racket!

thekid · Jun 4, 2009

thank you for the excellent info!

I have not checked into it in detail yet but if you google isbe college in Hawaii there are some advanced para medical esthetic classes offered online..not sure if they are hands on since it's online but maybe you go in for a day of clinical? I plan to talk to the advisor to find out more info. Not sure if the online classes are approved for all state board requirements or not..it seems each state board should know what a nurse is allowed to perform with a RN license and/or if additional training/certificates are required?

but anyways google that school, the online classes are more affordable and if they offer the same info you would receive elsewhere, it may be a good option.

rterra3 · Jun 22, 2009

Hi all,

I am so glad I found this thread & I hope this thread is still active. I am currently a pre-nursing student hoping to get into a bsn program fall of next year.

I have been thinking about what field in nursing I would like to end up in & after doing a lot of research, I stumbled into aesthetic nurse. Now I have a few questions that hopefully you guys can answer. I apologize in advance if my questions seem really dumb. lol

1: I would like to double check that I understand this right. In order to become an aesthetic nurse, you would need to become a nurse & find at least an employer that is willing to pay for education to go to aesthetic school.

2: Once you become an aesthetic nurse, where would you say the best place to work is?

3: For those who are aesthetic nurse, are you satisfied?

4: If ever I decide to start my own medspa, how should I go about it (I live in illinois)?

5: For those who have your business, are you satisfied?

I hope this isnt too much for any of you. I want to thank you all in advance. I know that this will really help me narrow my search of what field in nursing I would really prefer.

thekid · Jun 25, 2009

Dear thekid,
That's a good question, and one that I hear a lot! Ok, let me try and break it down for you without any biased opinions, because National Laser Institute does not offer the regular aestheticians course (we are strictly CE/CME advanced clinical medical aesthetics for nurses and physicians) and I don't want to steer you away from you're own decision.
1) If an RN, NP or PA would like to become certified as an Aesthetician and go through the typical 4-6 months of schooling in addition to core training for advanced medical aesthetics (botox, fillers, laser), that's wonderful! That decision is purely a matter of preference, time and money... not a matter of becoming more qualified or educated to perform cosmetic injections or laser skin services.
2) The preference that I speak of deals with what you are to be using that additional schooling for, because what one will be learning throughout the 600 hours of aesthetic training is quite different from what one will be learning in an advanced clinical medical aesthetics course. Both teach modalities related to skin, tissue, muscle and hair... however, the 600 hour regular aestheticians course will relay it to facials, tissue massage, facial waxing, exfoliants, extractions, lyphatic massage drainage, steaming, history of aesthetics, skincare etc... If you want to learn these techniques, that's great, just make sure that you will be performing them at your job. On the flip side, the advanced medical aesthetics course will relay it to skin interaction with lasers or intense pulse light machines, muscle/tissue response to botulinum type A or hyaluronic acid fillers, skin conditions treatable by these modalities, correct laser settings for different skin types/conditions, dilution ccs of botox/fillers for different facial creases, folds, wrinkles, etc...
3) Please be cautious and really research any program that offers a 600-700hr course on BOTH regular aesthetics (waxing, facials, skincare, product) and clinical medical aesthetics (botox, filler, laser, IPL). There is no way one course can give you all that you need to learn for safe practice of both modalities. Basically, it takes all 600ish hours to complete a regular aestheticians course - pretty intense and worth it if thats what you want. Most times, if they tag in medical aesthetics, its usually at the end, or in spurts, and not fully dedicated to. In order to truly learn and safely perform botox, fillers, laser, IPL treatments, I recommend a complete comprehensive course in just that. Again, go anywhere you want to go, but just make sure you do the research and drill away with questions before signing a check. Get the best training for the safety of your clients and the protection of yourself!
4) The money talk! And its really difficult NOT to give biased opinions here because its just plain old fact. It takes, what... I think around 30-45-60 minutes to get a solid facial which starts around $50 and can go as high as $200 in exclusive resorts or spas. It takes 5 minutes to facial wax or 20 min to leg wax, but the cost is around $15-50. It takes 10-15 minutes to inject botox. Botox costs the provider about $400 a vial with 100 units in each vial. A good provider who DOES NOT overdilute Botox with saline (correct amount 2.5 cc) can treat 2-4 areas of the face. The average cost of Botox is $12-15 per unit. The average person requires 35-45 units per treatment. The same with lasers, which although the machines are expensive (buying is rough, leasing is better, getting in somewhere that already has them is the best), the cost of typical laser/IPL treatments, Photofacials, laser hair removal, Fractional Laser wrinkle reduction can be anywhere from $500-2,000. The cost to revenue to time ratio is huge.
5) A lot of my nurses and physicians who want the regular aesthetician training as well as the advanced clinical medical aesthetic training, opt to the advanced clinical medical aesthetic training first. Most good courses for a comprehensive background in this will be 7-14 days. That way, they get classroom and hands-on training botox, fillers, laser, IPL, and can go out and work somewhere part-time or contract part-time to still make money while they go on to take the 600 hour aestheticians course.
I hope this helps. Again, a decision based on preference, time and money.

Am seriously considering your school..do you offer job placement assistance in Arizona (and how about other areas? I am in Hawaii right now but moving to the bay area)

thank you

aprilr · Jul 23, 2009

Does anyone know good websites or resources to find aesthetic nurse job openings. I cannot seem to find any helpful sites. The only way I have found to find jobs is to look up specific businesses and check their web page to see if they are hiring. Many of them do not have the info on their page. Just checking to see if anyone had some good ideas. Thanks.