Medical-Grade Myths 

There are many misconceptions regarding the regulation of skin care products and services. Creative marketing terms only further the confusion. 

In the United States, the licensing board of each individual state regulates the scope of practice of skin care professionals. Those professionals include, but are not limited to, aestheticians, nurses, and physicians. Depending on state regulations, performing some types of skin care services may only be authorized to doctors or aestheticians working in a medical spa under a doctor’s supervision. Examples of those services are higher-strength chemical peels and lasers. In short, aestheticians, and often nurses, are limited in their scope of practice while physicians are not limited at all. In the cases where a desired service is out of the professional’s scope of practice, they may choose to work under a doctor’s supervision and give up some of their income to compensate the medical doctor, or they may be on the doctor’s payroll as an employee. However, the term medical aesthetician is not regulated either, and there are no medical aesthetician licenses.

Catherine Atzen is an innovator and trendsetter in the spa and wellness industry and was recognized by DERMASCOPE Magazine as an AIA Legend for her lifetime contributions to the field. She is credited with coining the term “day spa” and setting industry standards for high-end, clean, and effective skin care. Atzen has trained over 20,000 professionals worldwide and has had 225 articles published. She founded ATZEN which has more recently became ATZEN Superior to Organic Skin Care when she took the line to new heights by incorporating the best organic ingredients with naturally derived high-performance cosmeceuticals to truly transform one’s skin.