An aesthetic clinic or a med spa can’t have a complete treatment offering without including the most well-known filler – Botox. Unlike other fillers and cosmetic procedures, performing Botox treatments is considerably more complicated, and such a line of work requires specialized training.
What degree do you need to give Botox injections? And which professions can administer it? Read on to find out.
Regulations for Botox Injections
Botox is one of the most popular injectable drugs that has helped millions of people to look younger and rejuvenated. The demand for the treatments couldn’t be higher, and it remained at the top of the list of trends in plastic surgery decades after it was introduced to the world.
But, Botox cannot be administered or even purchased by any random interested party. As it’s one of the drugs that contain type-A botulinum toxin, similar to Azzalure, regulations were put in place so that only licensed healthcare professionals can prescribe and administer the drug.
Additionally, current regulations state that the person prescribing Botox is also the one responsible for either administering it or delegating the task to a qualified, licensed practitioner. And, as you’ll see in the next section, the requirements to administer Botox are pretty strict.
How to Get Botox Certification
Now that we’ve seen how Botox is regulated, we need to answer the main question – how to become a Botox injector? Furthermore, what should your career path be if you want to become qualified and thrive in this field?
Botox cannot be injected by anyone. The person needs to meet certain criteria before they can become a certified Botox injector. They need to be a licensed healthcare practitioner, first and foremost, which then qualifies them for proper Botox training.
This is a three-part process, so we’ll start from the top – the education.
Enroll In a Medical School
This should go without saying, but you absolutely have to have a bachelor’s degree to even qualify for Botox training. You need to provide proof of scholarship to get accepted into any of the courses.
Your choice of school should fall into either medicine, biology, or any related science category. On top of that, it’s imperative that you choose a school in the same state where you’re planning to practice medicine, as that’s often the additional requirement.
Secure a Medical License
Once you’ve completed all the courses and earned your bachelor’s degree, your next step is to get a medical license. Look into your state’s regulations and boards to find more detail about it, as some medical professions require a certain period of residency, on top of med school degrees.
Just remember that the active license is one of the most important Botox certification requirements.
Enroll in a Botox Course
Even with your bachelor’s degree and medical license in hand, you’re still not fully licensed and trained to administer Botox injections. For that, you have to enroll in a training program.
There are many training courses to choose from, all available at highly reputable institutions across the country. They can last anywhere from a single day to a couple of weeks and are priced accordingly.
Of course, the quality of the course and the instructor’s reputation are what matters the most here, but it’s worth knowing that, in cases where you’re running on a tight schedule, you can complete such a course relatively quickly.
As for what you should learn when schooling for Botox, the training should include lectures on patient assessment and consultation, proper Botox injection techniques, study on facial anatomy and possible danger zones for injections, Botox indications and possible complications, as well as teach you proper Botox aftercare.
Ideally, the course should include practice on model patients, so you can get firsthand experience.
Additional Advanced Botox Training
For many people who pursue this line of work, the specialization ends after their initial training. That’s, unfortunately, not enough if you want to be able to administer Botox in areas like lips or perform any of the more advanced procedures.
That is why advanced Botox courses exist. To sign up for such a course, you’ll also need to have some prior knowledge and experience, usually 6 or more months of injecting Botox and working with patients.
Finishing the advanced course is highly recommended in any case, considering patients are frequently asking for lip lifts and similar procedures that general Botox training doesn’t cover.
Different Professionals Who Can Administer Botox
Botox can only be administered by a licensed medical practitioner that also holds a certificate for providing the injections. Here’s a list of various medical professionals who can administer Botox:
- Plastic surgeon – plastic surgeons are medical professionals specialized in medical aesthetics, trained to perform surgical and non-surgical procedures that alter the patient’s appearance.
- Physician – one thing in common for all physicians is that they’ve completed a medical residency program on top of their medical degree, hence why they mostly work in clinics and hospitals, but a number of them branch out to aesthetic medicine.
- Physician assistant – physician assistants are licensed to provide medical diagnoses, prescribe medications, and may perform Botox injections.
- Registered nurse – when schooling for Botox and fillers, many people choose this career path as the training provides vast knowledge and their license covers all cosmetic procedures. A registered nurse can also specialize to become a cosmetic nurse.
- Skincare specialist – oftentimes working as residential specialists at medical spas, skincare specialists (as the name implies) are experts in performing medical treatments.
- Beauty therapist – beauty therapists, or beauticians as they’re often called, are specialized in providing various beauty treatments to their patients. That includes dermal fillers and Botox, too.
- Nurse practitioner – similar to a registered nurse, but with a key difference that nurse practitioners get specialized training and experience, which allows them to have more autonomy at their workplace.
- Dentist – dentists are one of the specialized professions that are now licensed to administer Botox injections. Oftentimes, patients can schedule an appointment for both their teeth examination and a Botox procedure in a single dentist visit.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to become certified to do Botox and which career paths you’d need to take to reach this goal, it’s worth adding that this field is constantly evolving. You need to stay at the top of the game, practicing and learning nearly every day.
There’s always room for improvement, and new needling techniques are constantly being developed.
FAQ
Can you give Botox without being a nurse?
While you don’t necessarily need to be a nurse to administer Botox injections, you still have to be a licensed healthcare professional that meets all Botox license requirements. You can find the list of medical professionals who can give the injections above in this article.
How do I become a cosmetic injector without being a nurse?
To become a certified cosmetic injection, you already have to be a registered nurse. This requires at least two years of education (an associate degree in nursing is the minimum requirement) in a college that offers accredited nursing programs.
Can anyone do Botox injections?
No, only licensed medical personnel can. Wondering what degree do you need to give Botox injections? You can find the full list in this very article, along with any additional information and requirements.
References
Importing injectables; Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, FDA
https://www.fda.gov/media/90808/download
What does an FDA approval mean for cosmetic treatments and devices; Terence Myckatyn, MD; American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Feb 2018
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/what-does-an-fda-approval-mean-for-cosmetic-treatments-and-devices
FDA Approvals and Consensus Guidelines for Botulinum Toxins in the Treatment of Dystonia; Lauren L. Spiegel, Jill L. Ostrem, and Ian O. Bledsoe; May 2020
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7290737/
The problem with Botox regulations; Dr Stephen Henessy, Jun 2019
What Certifications Are Needed To Administer Botox Injections; Mar 2023
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-degree-do-you-need-to-give-botox-injections
