How to Check a Med Spa Is Legitimate Before You Book

Before you book, find out exactly who will treat you and look up their license on your state’s medical or nursing board website, then do the same for the med spa’s medical director. Ask for the brand and model of the device or product and look it up in the FDA’s database, read the one- to three-star reviews and how the clinic replied, and ask at your consultation what happens if something goes wrong. A legitimate med spa answers all of this readily, and the whole check takes about 15 minutes.

AuraVenu lists med spas, but we do not check licenses or credentials. A “Verified by the owner” badge means the business has claimed its listing and keeps its details up to date, and “Featured” is a paid placement. Neither is a license check, so here is how to do one yourself.

The 15-minute check

If any step turns up a lapsed license, a medical director nobody can name, a device missing from the FDA’s database or a vague answer about complications, keep looking. The sections below explain each step, who is allowed to do what, and the extra checks for laser hair removal, body contouring and brightening facials.

Who is allowed to do what

There is no national rule. Each state decides who may perform which treatments, through its medical, nursing and cosmetology boards, and the rules differ more than most people expect. The general pattern:

• Botox and fillers. Botox and the other botulinum toxins are prescription drugs, and fillers are medical devices the FDA approves product by product. The FDA says having filler injected “should be considered a medical procedure, not a cosmetic treatment.” A physician, or in many states a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, has to assess you and order the treatment, and registered nurses commonly do the injecting. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) sets a higher bar than state law: injections from a board-certified dermatologist or a member of their staff, with the dermatologist “in the office and immediately available.” Our guide to your first Botox appointment covers what a good consultation looks like.
• Lasers, IPL and radiofrequency. California, New York and Texas, for example, treat cosmetic laser treatments as the practice of medicine, and New York and Texas also cover radiofrequency devices that reach below the skin’s surface. That means a physician, or in some states a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, must perform, order or supervise the treatment. Who else may hold the device varies. Laser hair removal is where states split furthest: some allow only licensed medical staff, while others certify laser technicians or let estheticians do it.
• RF microneedling and Morpheus8. In October 2025 the FDA said “RF microneedling is a medical procedure, not a cosmetic treatment.” Even plain microneedling is outside an esthetician’s license in some states, California among them.
• Body contouring devices. CoolSculpting’s safety information calls it “a prescription use only device” that “may only be used by or on the order of a physician,” and states differ on who may run such devices under that order. Kybella, a fat-dissolving injection, is a prescription drug, like Botox.
• Estheticians. Their license covers facials, superficial peels, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, LED and similar treatments. It does not cover injections, and most lasers and energy devices fall outside it too, with exceptions such as laser hair removal in some states. A good esthetician is exactly who you want for a facial. The check is that a laser, needle or injection is not being done by someone whose license does not cover it.
• The medical director. A med spa offering medical treatments generally needs a physician, or in some states a nurse practitioner, who sets protocols, delegates to staff and answers for patient care. Whether that physician must be on site, how far away they may practice and whether they must own the business vary by state.

Our guides to Botox, dermal and lip fillers and microneedling cover each treatment’s risks and what to ask in more detail.

What the rules look like in five places

These summaries show how far apart the rules are. They are not legal advice, and rules change.

• California. Only a physician, or a registered nurse or physician assistant under a physician’s supervision, may use lasers or IPL. The Medical Board of California says medical assistants, licensed vocational nurses, cosmetologists, electrologists and estheticians “may not legally perform these treatments under any circumstances.” For Botox, the board names the same people, a physician or a registered nurse or physician assistant under a physician’s supervision, and says no unlicensed person, such as a medical assistant, may inject it. The supervising physician need not be on site but must be immediately reachable, and a med spa offering medical procedures must be owned by physicians. The state cosmetology board lists lasers, IPL, radiofrequency, microneedling, injections and fat reduction as outside an esthetician’s scope.
• Texas. The Texas Medical Board treats cosmetic injections and the cosmetic use of prescription devices as medical acts a physician may delegate. Before treatment, a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice nurse must establish a relationship with you and tell you who will perform it, and one of them must be on site or immediately available for emergency consultation. Clinics must post the delegating physician’s name and Texas license number in every public area and treatment room, and anyone performing a delegated treatment must wear a name tag or similar ID showing their credentials. Laser hair removal is separate: the state certifies laser hair removal professionals, who may work without supervision under a consulting physician’s protocols.
• Florida. When a nurse practitioner or physician assistant works without an on-site supervising physician in a skin care office away from that physician’s main practice, the physician must be board certified or board eligible in dermatology or plastic surgery, practice within 25 miles or in a neighboring county, supervise no more than one such extra office, and post the hours they are present. Certified electrologists may perform laser hair removal under a physician’s supervision, after a first consultation that includes a physician’s examination.
• New York. A 2025 determination by the state’s Board for Medicine says energy devices that affect the dermis or deeper tissue are the practice of medicine. The treatment must be performed or ordered by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner, who need not be on site but must be available. The determination’s text says only registered nurses may carry out those orders, though its own table also allows “supervised personnel” to use some medium-powered skin lasers. Laser hair removal is excluded. The Department of State classes it, along with IPL hair removal, as cosmetology or esthetics, and there is no separate laser technician license; the same chart lists microneedling under the acupuncture license. The department also tells consumers that a med spa’s medical director and their credentials should be easy to find on its website: “It is a red flag if this information is not available.”
• Washington, DC. There is no med spa law. A 2014 Board of Medicine policy treats laser hair removal, IPL, radiofrequency skin tightening and non-invasive body contouring as the practice of medicine and asks for the medical director to be on site at least half of opening hours, but the policy says itself that it is “not mandatory.”

How to find your own state’s rules

1. Find the right boards through the Federation of State Medical Boards’ directory of medical boards and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s directory of nursing boards. Estheticians are licensed by a cosmetology board or state licensing agency, which in some states, such as Texas, also certifies laser hair removal.
2. Search the board’s website for “cosmetic,” “aesthetic,” “laser,” “medical spa,” “delegation” or “position statement.” Many nursing boards publish position statements on cosmetic procedures.
3. Ask the board if it is still unclear: “Who may perform this treatment here, and what supervision is required?”
4. Check that it is binding. A policy or position statement is not always law, as DC’s shows.

How to look up a license

Ask for the full name and license type of the person who will treat you. A legitimate med spa will tell you. Then:

• Nurses (RN, LPN or LVN, NP): Nursys QuickConfirm is free, covers RN and LPN/VN licenses from every US nursing board and shows discipline. Nurse practitioner data is patchier (California and New York, among others, do not send it), so check NPs on the state board’s own site.
• Physicians and physician assistants: DocInfo, run by the Federation of State Medical Boards, or your state medical board. For PAs, NCCPA shows national PA-C certification.
• Estheticians and laser technicians: the state cosmetology board or licensing agency (in Texas, TDLR covers both).
• State lookups: California (doctors, PAs, nurses and estheticians in one search), Florida, New York, Texas (physicians and PAs, nurses) and Washington, DC.

On the result, check:

• The license type matches what you were told and covers the treatment. A licensed vocational nurse in California may not use a laser, and an esthetician’s license does not cover injections.
• The status is active, not expired, suspended, restricted or on probation.
• It is valid in your state. Nurses can practice on a multistate license from another Nurse Licensure Compact state (43 jurisdictions belong), so an out-of-state license is not automatically a problem.
• Any discipline. Open the board order and read what it was for. In California, the Medical Board’s site shows accusations, decisions, suspension orders and public reprimands, and shows citations for a limited time.
• What “board-certified” means. Certification is voluntary and specialty-specific. Check physicians on the free Certification Matters site, or with the American Board of Dermatology or the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

A training certificate from a device maker or a weekend course is not a license, unless your state issues the certificate itself.

How to check the medical director

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons tells patients to check the credentials of the medical director and the supervising physician, not just the person treating them.

1. Find the name. In Texas it must be posted, with a license number, in every public area and treatment room. Elsewhere, look on the website or ask.
2. Look up the license as above.
3. Look at their training. Of the five places above, only Florida names a specialty: dermatology or plastic surgery, for a physician supervising nurse practitioners or physician assistants at a skin care office off site. In a 2019 survey of 247 med spas, 41 percent of medical directors were trained in one of those specialties, and the American Med Spa Association’s 2024 industry report put 74 percent outside the core aesthetic specialties.
4. Ask how supervision works: how often they are on site, how staff reach them, and whether they hear about complications. In a 2024 study of 63 Las Vegas med spas, only 46 percent said they told the medical director about complications.

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association opposes “in-name-only medical directors without appropriate onsite supervision,” and also says “There are many legitimate, safe, physician-owned medical spas.” This step tells you which kind you are looking at.

How to check the device is FDA-cleared

Most lasers, IPL, radiofrequency and fat-reduction devices are “cleared” through the FDA’s 510(k) process, meaning the maker showed the device is substantially equivalent to one already legally sold. Higher-risk devices such as dermal fillers need full premarket “approval,” and Botox, a drug, is approved separately.

1. Ask for the brand and model. “Our laser” is not an answer.
2. Search Devices@FDA, which covers cleared and approved devices, or the 510(k) database.
3. Search by company name. Devices are often listed under family names: Candela’s GentleMax Pro appears as “GentleMax Pro Plus” and “Candela GentleMax Family of Laser Systems.”
4. Open the record, check the decision reads “Substantially Equivalent,” then open the Summary or Statement PDF and find the Indications for Use, which says what the device is cleared to do.

For example, the GentleMax Pro Plus record (K201111, cleared May 26, 2020) clears its 1064 nm laser for “stable long term or permanent hair reduction” and says “The lasers are indicated on all skin types Fitzpatrick I-VI including tanned skin.” The same system’s 755 nm alexandrite laser lists the same skin types. So a clearance tells you what a device may be marketed for, not which wavelength or setting suits your skin. That is a clinical judgment, which is why the operator’s training matters as much as the machine.

Also worth knowing:

• Cleared for one use is not cleared for all. Providers may use a device or drug for other purposes, but the FDA has not reviewed the evidence for those uses. CoolSculpting’s safety information says it is “not a treatment for weight loss,” and Kybella is approved only for fat under the chin; its label now warns of serious reactions when it is injected elsewhere.
• “FDA-registered” says nothing about safety. The FDA does not issue registration certificates, and says registration “does not denote approval, clearance, or authorization.”
• Fillers are in the PMA database. The FDA tells patients not to buy filler online and says needle-free devices are not approved for injecting it.
• Botox should come from an authorized source. After counterfeit Botox turned up in several states in 2024, the FDA told patients to confirm this with their provider.

How to read reviews honestly

Star ratings mostly measure the front desk. A study of negative reviews of dermatology practices found they were often about staff, scheduling, cleanliness and insurance rather than the care itself, and a study of 78 specialists found no link between online ratings and measures of care quality. Read reviews for patterns:

• Sort by newest. Staff and medical directors change, and the last six to twelve months describe the clinic you would actually visit.
• Look for detail. Useful reviews name the treatment, often the provider, and what happened afterwards. A burst of short, similar five-star reviews tells you little.
• Read the one- to three-star reviews first. Separate complaints about booking, billing or upselling from complaints about the treatment: burns, blisters, lasting dark or light patches, lumps, infection, or a result nothing like what was promised. One clinical complaint among hundreds of reviews is not unusual; a pattern is. In a study of 1,204 negative RealSelf reviews of non-invasive treatments, 65 percent said the treatment did not work and 25 percent described complications.
• Read the clinic’s replies. A good reply acknowledges the problem and invites the person to get in touch. Do not expect clinical detail: providers may not disclose a patient’s health information in a review reply, and federal regulators have penalized practices that did. Blaming, arguing or threatening is the warning sign.
• Search within reviews for your treatment and words like “laser,” “burn” or “filler.” A clinic can be excellent at facials and new to lasers.
• Compare sites. If a clinic’s own testimonials look nothing like its Google or Yelp reviews, you are seeing a curated selection.
• Watch for review gating and rewards. Some clinics steer only happy patients to Google and send unhappy ones to a private form. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides say inviting only satisfied customers may be deceptive if it makes the posted reviews substantially more positive, and Google bans selectively soliciting positive reviews and offering discounts or free services for them. Since October 21, 2024, an FTC rule has also banned fake reviews, reviews bought on condition they are positive, undisclosed reviews by insiders, and suppressing negative reviews with threats.

Before-and-after photos

• Ask whose patients they are. You want the clinic’s own patients, ideally treated by the person who would treat you, with skin like yours. Clinic websites often carry photos supplied by the device or product maker.
• Reverse image search them with Google’s “search with an image” (Google Lens on a phone) or TinEye. A photo that also appears on a manufacturer’s or another clinic’s site is not this clinic’s work.
• Check that each pair is comparable: same lighting, angle, distance and expression, with no makeup or filter on one side only. California sets this standard in law for medical advertising: before-and-after views must be comparable, say what procedure was done and state that the same results may not occur for all patients, and photos of models must be labeled as models.
• Do not expect perfection. A 2022 study of 2,020 aesthetic outcome photos on Instagram rated the average one 4 out of 9 against basic photo standards. A gallery where every result looks flawless deserves a closer look.

Red flags

One of these is a reason to ask more questions. Two or more is a reason to go elsewhere.

• A price far below other clinics nearby. Product and trained staff cost money, so something is being saved on. In 2024 the CDC investigated 17 people in nine states harmed after cosmetic botulinum toxin injections, 13 of whom were hospitalized; some had been injected by people who did not follow state or local requirements, and the FDA warned that counterfeit Botox had been found in several states. The CDC’s advice: “If in doubt, don’t get the injection.” Our guide to your first Botox appointment covers typical per-unit pricing.
• No real consultation. Prescription treatments need an assessment by someone allowed to prescribe, and every treatment needs a look at your skin and health history, not just a booking slot.
• No name for the person treating you, or a name that does not turn up in a license search.
• Nobody can name the medical director or explain how staff reach them.
• Pressure to buy a package today. A package bundles the price; it is not automatically a discount. Think twice before prepaying months of sessions at a clinic you have not tried.
• No complication plan. For hyaluronic acid filler, the clinic should keep hyaluronidase, the enzyme that dissolves it, on hand. An international consensus of injectors states: “Every clinic must have hyaluronidase available for immediate utilization in case of any intravascular event.” For lasers and energy devices, ask who would see you if you blistered on a Saturday night. In the Las Vegas study, only 39.7 percent of med spas had an after-hours number.
• Photos that are all stock or manufacturer images.
• “FDA-registered” or “FDA-approved” used loosely. Federal regulations say registration “does not in any way denote approval,” and implying otherwise is misbranding. Most energy devices are cleared for specific uses, not approved.
• Treatment outside a clinic. The AAD says never to get botulinum toxin injections at a non-medical spa, a party, a salon or someone’s home.
• Needles, cartridges or kits not opened in front of you. The FDA says reusing a microneedling cartridge is unsafe even if it has been cleaned. PRP, which uses your own blood, needs a single-use kit: in 2024 the CDC linked HIV infections in four former clients of an unlicensed New Mexico spa, and in one client’s partner, to PRP microneedling facials there.
• A form that bars you from posting reviews. Under the federal Consumer Review Fairness Act, clauses like this in standard customer contracts are void, and offering them is illegal.

If you are booking laser hair removal

Laser hair removal comes up in laser injury lawsuits more than any other treatment. In US cases from 1999 to 2012, non-physicians performed roughly a third of laser hair removal but were the operators in 75.5 percent of hair removal lawsuits from 2004 on, mostly outside a traditional medical setting. Lawsuits are not complication rates, and the data are old, but it is a reason to check who will hold the laser.

• Know your skin type. Providers use the Fitzpatrick scale, a six-point measure of how skin burns and tans, from type I (very fair, always burns) to type VI (very dark). The laser targets pigment in the hair, and pigment in the skin absorbs some of the same light, so skin type decides which laser and settings are safe. The AAD says people of all skin tones can safely have laser hair removal with an operator experienced in their skin tone, and that it does not work on blonde, white, gray or red hair.
• Ask which laser. For darker skin, the long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) is generally considered safest, because its longer wavelength is absorbed less by pigment at the skin’s surface, and long-pulsed diode lasers are also used. The alexandrite laser (755 nm) and IPL carry more risk of burns and pigment changes on darker skin. One review reported pigment changes in up to 19 percent of patients with shorter-wavelength lasers, particularly with darker skin, against 2 to 3 percent with Nd:YAG.
• Read the clearance for what it says. Hair removal lasers are typically cleared for “permanent hair reduction,” which the clearances define as “the long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs regrowing when measured at 6, 9, and 12 months after the completion of a treatment regime.” That means fewer hairs, not none.
• Ask for a test spot, which the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) recommends.
• Prepare. The AAD says not to tan or use sunless tanner beforehand, and the ASDS says to avoid sunbathing, tanning beds, waxing and chemical peels for two weeks before. Mention a tendency to scar or form keloids, cold sores or genital herpes, isotretinoin and any other medicines.
• Expect several sessions, usually four to six weeks apart.
• Check who may operate it where you live. California allows only a physician, or a registered nurse or physician assistant under a physician’s supervision. Texas certifies laser hair removal professionals, Florida allows certified electrologists under a physician’s supervision, and New York treats it as cosmetology or esthetics. Whatever the rule, look up the operator’s license or certificate.

If you have sensitive skin and want body contouring

There is no research on body contouring devices specifically for “sensitive skin,” and we found no professional guidance recommending a patch test before them. What the evidence does show is that each type of device has its own main risk, and some health conditions rule a device out. The lowest-risk choice is the one whose risks do not overlap with your history.

• Cold (cryolipolysis, such as CoolSculpting). It cools fat through the skin rather than heating it. Numbness, redness, swelling and pain are common and temporary; about half of patients reported numbness in a 2025 review of 30 studies. The rare serious problem is paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, where the treated fat grows instead of shrinking; the FDA says it “does not go away on its own and may require surgery to remove the visible bulge.” The manufacturer puts it at about 1 in 3,000 treatments, while a 2025 review of 28 published studies estimated about 1 in 455 patients, on low-certainty evidence. The FDA says fat freezing should not be used with Raynaud’s disease, pernio or chilblains, cold urticaria, cryoglobulinemia, paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, cold agglutinin disease or poor circulation in the area. Published cases of severe frostbite came from a beauty salon and a non-medical clinic.
• Heat (radiofrequency, 1060 nm laser, focused ultrasound). In FDA adverse event reports, radiofrequency and laser problems are mostly burns, and focused ultrasound problems are mostly unintended fat loss and uneven surfaces. The FDA says not to use radiofrequency or ultrasound devices if you have an active implant such as a pacemaker, or metal under the skin, and not to use radiofrequency over tattoos with metallic ink. For other exclusions, such as pregnancy, ask what the device’s labeling says.
• Magnetic muscle stimulation (such as Emsculpt or CoolTone). The FDA says these are not for people with active implants such as a pacemaker, or metal under the skin. CoolTone’s safety information also excludes pregnancy and warns that treating over scars may raise the risk of burns.
• Injections (deoxycholic acid, sold as Kybella). A prescription drug approved only for fat under the chin.

If your skin reacts easily:

• Mention any skin condition in the area. CoolSculpting asks patients to report “eczema, dermatitis, or rashes in the area to be treated.” Do not treat over a flare or broken skin.
• Ask what touches your skin. CoolSculpting asks about sensitivity to isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol, fructose or glycerin, because of the risk of a severe allergic reaction. For other devices, ask about gels, pads and numbing creams.
• Ask how the device is cleaned between patients and which parts are disposable, as the FDA suggests.

To compare providers, ask which device each uses and what it is cleared for, how many sessions they expect (the AAD says cryolipolysis usually takes about two, radiofrequency four to ten), the price for the full course, and what they will do if the treated area grows. The FDA notes that body contouring “does not treat obesity or improve your health,” and the AAD says most people see the full effect three to six months after the last treatment, so be wary of anyone promising more, sooner.

If you want a brightening facial for dark spots

“Brightening” is a marketing word with no agreed definition. Most brightening facials pair exfoliation, from enzymes or a light acid peel, with ingredients the AAD lists for fading dark spots, such as azelaic acid, glycolic acid, kojic acid, retinoids and vitamin C. Some clinics use the same word for an IPL photofacial, a laser or a stronger chemical peel, which carry different risks. Ask exactly what is in it, and at what strength.

For darker skin, the main risk is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, where irritation leaves new dark marks. It affects darker skin more often and more severely, and the AAD says such marks usually take six to twelve months to fade, while deeper ones can take years.

• Start gentle. Superficial peels are generally well tolerated in darker skin. The AAD says people with skin of color can safely have a chemical peel with a dermatologist experienced in darker skin, and that without that expertise patients “can develop permanent pigment problems.”
• Lasers and IPL need more care, because pigment at the skin’s surface absorbs the energy. Ask how many people with your skin tone the provider has treated on that device.
• Wear sunscreen, ideally a tinted one with iron oxide, which the AAD notes also protects against visible light.
• Hydroquinone needs a prescription. The FDA says no over-the-counter skin-lightening product is legally marketed in the US.

See a dermatologist before booking if:

• It might be melasma. It can look like other conditions and last for years. Treatment usually starts with creams, including prescription hydroquinone, and the AAD says only a board-certified dermatologist should perform peels, microneedling or lasers for melasma. A review of 113 studies found peels and lasers “equal or inferior to topicals, but offer a higher risk of adverse effects,” and melasma often returns after laser treatment, sometimes darker.
• A spot is new, changing, unlike your others, itchy or bleeding. Have it diagnosed before anyone lasers it. A study of 12 patients who developed melanoma after laser treatment of pigmented spots concluded the laser increased the risk of a delayed diagnosis; three of them died.
• You have dark, velvety skin in folds such as the neck or armpits, which the AAD says can be a sign of prediabetes.

Our hyperpigmentation page covers the treatments med spas commonly offer for everyday sun spots and post-acne marks.

Questions to ask at your consultation

Frequently asked questions

How do I check that a laser hair removal clinic is legitimate?

Ask who will operate the laser and look up their license or certificate, because states differ: California allows only physicians, and registered nurses or physician assistants under a physician’s supervision, while Texas certifies laser hair removal technicians and New York classes it as cosmetology or esthetics. Then check the laser’s FDA clearance and ask for a test spot, especially if you have darker skin.

What is the safest body contouring for sensitive skin?

No device has been studied specifically for sensitive skin, so the safest one is the one whose risks do not overlap with your health history. Cold-based fat freezing does not heat the skin but is ruled out by conditions such as Raynaud’s disease or cold urticaria, heat-based devices are mainly linked to burns, and pacemakers or metal implants rule out radiofrequency, ultrasound and magnetic muscle stimulators.

How do I compare brightening facial providers?

Ask what the facial contains (which acids or peel, at what strength, and whether it involves IPL or a laser), how often the provider treats skin like yours, and whether they will test a small area first. If you might have melasma, or a spot is new or changing, see a dermatologist before booking.

How can I find honest reviews of a med spa?

Read the newest reviews and the one- to three-star reviews first, search them for your treatment and words like “burn,” and see how the clinic replied. Compare at least two sites, and be wary of reviews traded for discounts, which Google prohibits.

How do I compare body contouring providers?

Ask which device each clinic uses and what it is FDA-cleared to treat, how many sessions they expect, the total price, and what they will do if the treated area grows instead of shrinking. Favor the clinic that takes a full health history and explains the risks over the one promising the fastest result.

Does a med spa need a doctor on site?

It depends on the state and the treatment. California and New York allow the supervising physician to be off site if they can be reached, while Texas requires a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice nurse to be on site or immediately available for emergency consultation.

How do I check if a med spa’s device is FDA-cleared?

Ask for the brand and model, then search the company or device name in Devices@FDA or the FDA’s 510(k) database. The record’s Indications for Use says what the device is cleared to do; “FDA-registered” means something else entirely.

Before you book

A good med spa will not be put off by any of these questions. If a clinic is evasive about who will treat you, who supervises them or what happens if something goes wrong, that is your answer.

If something does go wrong, get medical care straight away rather than waiting for a follow-up. That includes burns, blistering or spreading redness, and after filler, the FDA’s warning signs: “unusual pain, vision changes, a white, gray, or blue appearance of skin near the injection site.” Afterwards, you can complain to the state board that licenses the provider and report a device or product problem to the FDA through MedWatch, which takes reports from patients.

This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice. Rules change, and your state’s boards have the final word. The rules, studies and databases cited here were read on October 18, 2026.

Browse med spas by treatment

Sources

License lookups and FDA databases are linked in the text above.

State rules

• Medical Board of California, FAQs: Cosmetic Treatments and Medical Spas: What You Need to Know
• California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, esthetician scope of practice flier, laser bulletin (February 28, 2013) and microneedling bulletin (June 5, 2014, revised July 2015)
• California Business and Professions Code section 651, advertising and photographs
• Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, section 169.25, 169.26, 169.27 and 169.28, effective January 9, 2025
• Texas Health and Safety Code section 401.504, 401.505 and 401.519, laser hair removal
• Florida Statutes section 458.348 and Florida Administrative Code rule 64B8-56.002
• New York State Board for Medicine, Use of Energy Devices Including Lasers as the Practice of Medicine, March 7, 2025
• New York Department of State, Med Spa Procedure Licensure Chart (revised July 15, 2026) and Med Spa Consumer Resources
• DC Board of Medicine, Policy No. 15-02, Policy on the Practice of Aesthetic Medicine, November 13, 2014
• Nurse Licensure Compact, participating jurisdictions

Professional societies

• American Academy of Dermatology: Botulinum toxin: preparation, Botulinum toxin: FAQs, Laser hair removal: FAQs, Laser hair removal: preparation, 6 ways to remove unwanted hair, Non-invasive fat removal: what to expect, How to fade dark spots in darker skin tones, Chemical peels: FAQs, Melasma: diagnosis and treatment, Melasma: self-care, What to look for: ABCDEs of melanoma and Acanthosis nigricans
• American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Hair removal and Laser therapy for unwanted hair
• American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association, position statement on physician oversight in medical spas, updated January 2024
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons, How to choose the right medical spa for you
• American Med Spa Association, 2024 Medical Spa State of the Industry report recap, November 6, 2024 (industry source)

FDA and CDC

• FDA, Is It Really “FDA Approved”? and Are there “FDA Registered” or “FDA Certified” medical devices?; 21 CFR 807.39
• FDA 510(k) record K201111, GentleMax Pro Plus, cleared May 26, 2020 (indications for use)
• FDA, Dermal Fillers (Soft Tissue Fillers), Non-Invasive Body Contouring Technologies and Microneedling Devices
• FDA, Potential Risks with Certain Uses of Radiofrequency (RF) Microneedling, October 15, 2025
• FDA, Counterfeit version of Botox found in multiple states, April 2024
• FDA, FDA works to protect consumers from potentially harmful OTC skin lightening products
• Kybella (deoxycholic acid) prescribing information, revised September 2026
• AbbVie, CoolSculpting Elite and CoolTone Important Safety Information, via coolsculpting.com
• CDC, Harmful reactions linked to counterfeit “Botox” or mishandled botulinum toxin injections, updated December 17, 2024
• CDC, Investigation of presumptive HIV transmission associated with receipt of platelet-rich plasma microneedling facials, MMWR, April 25, 2024
• FDA, MedWatch

Reviews and advertising

• Federal Trade Commission, final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials, August 14, 2024 (Federal Register, effective October 21, 2024)
• FTC Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR 255.2, and Soliciting and Paying for Online Reviews: A Guide for Marketers
• Google Maps, Prohibited and restricted content
• Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016, and the FTC’s guidance for businesses
• HHS Office for Civil Rights, resolution agreement with New Vision Dental over patient information in replies to online reviews, December 2022
• Google, Search with an image; TinEye, How to search

Studies

• Jalian HR, Jalian CA, Avram MM. Increased risk of litigation associated with laser surgery by nonphysician operators. JAMA Dermatol. 2014;150(4):407-411
• Gibson JF et al. Medical oversight and scope of practice of medical spas. Dermatol Surg. 2019;45(4):581-587
• Almukhtar RM et al. Supervision in Las Vegas medical spas. Dermatol Surg. 2024;50(10):954-957
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