The Use of Non-Physicians in Cosmetic Dermatology: Legal and Regulatory Standards

The demand for cosmetic medical procedures continues to rise. Dermatologists are increasingly employing non-physicians, and medical spas are hiring individuals without a medical license to meet this demand. This new frontier in medicine has opened the door to a number of legal and regulatory issues regarding scope of practice and appropriate physician supervision of these procedures. Further confounding the matter is state-by-state variation in laws and a lack of federal oversight. We discuss some of the most salient factors clinicians need to be cognizant of in this rapidly evolving field of cosmetic dermatology. Physicians must be aware of the pertinent legal issues they face when using non-physicians in their practice or when acting as the medical director of cosmetic procedures taking place in a non-medical setting. As a medical community, we should be aware of the risks and benefits of non-physicians performing cosmetic procedures on patients.