Nursing Careers: Esthetic Nursing

Is Esthetic Nursing Right For You?

Esthetic nursing is a lot different from any other types of nursing.  Esthetic nurses perform treatments that will enhance a person’s facial features, help to cover up scars or they can give Botox injections and apply permanent makeup. Esthetic nursing is a fairly new direction that some nurses are taking. Read on to discover more about esthetic nursing.

Any nurse can become an esthetic nurse. There are additional classes that you must take to learn the art of chemical peels,   

microdermabrasion, sclerotherapy, and permanent makeup application. At this time, there is no actual esthetic nursing license, but there is an Association of Medical Esthetic Nurses (AMEN), that is developing practice standards and lobbying for a national credential.

An esthetic nurse may work in a plastic surgeons office, a day spa setting, a beauty salon or they may open their own business. Many nurses have opted to open their own practices because the rewards are so great. An esthetic nurse can expect to earn anywhere from $70,000 to $110,000 depending on the geographical location.

Esthetic nursing is more prevalent in the West coast regions such as California. But it may very well move it’s way East in the future. If you are thinking about opening your own esthetic nursing business, do it in a fairly large city where you know that you will get the clientele that has the money to pay for such procedures. These are highly elective procedures and are not reimbursed by insurance plans.

An esthetic nurse may give Botox injections, but she must work under a plastic surgeon to do this. However, the doctor does not have to be on site during the procedure. All other procedures such as chemical peels and sclerotherapy can be done without the need for a doctor’s supervision.

Esthetic nurses also can learn the art of applying permanent makeup. This is simply injecting small amounts of ink underneath the skin.  A client may require permanent eyeliner or eyebrows. This is very useful for people who are visually impaired or have a physical condition that leaves them without the ability to have a steady hand to apply makeup themselves.

An esthetic nurse is able to help people that have serious scars from accidents, burns or other physical deformities feel good about the way they look. This can do a lot to boost the self confidence level of these people and to help them resume a normal life. Nurses will go into esthetic nursing because they are finally able to make a huge impact in someone’s life.