By: The Capella University Editorial Team with Buddy Wiltcher, EdD, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, Interim Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Aesthetic nursing, also known as cosmetic nursing, is a path that lets registered nurses (RNs) build a career around non-surgical treatments like neuromodulators, dermal fillers and laser therapies. You can pursue this specialty after earning your nursing license. If you’re a nurse drawn to the idea of helping people feel confident in their skin rather than managing acute or emergency care, aesthetic nursing might be the path you’re looking for.
Find out how to become an aesthetic nurse or aesthetic nurse practitioner through a detailed roadmap that covers education, training, licensure and certification for both pathways.
An aesthetic nurse is a registered nurse who specializes in performing or assisting with minimally invasive cosmetic treatments designed to improve a patient’s appearance. Rather than treating illness or injury, aesthetic nurses focus on elective procedures like injectables, skin treatments and laser treatments.
Aesthetic nurses may perform a range of responsibilities, including:
Their exact duties can change based on state regulations, physician supervision requirements and individual employer policies. Aesthetic nurses typically work in general medical and surgical hospitals, medical spas, dermatologists’ offices and plastic surgery clinics. Note these are examples, and positions may prefer or even require previous experience, licensure, certifications and/or other designations along with a degree. Capella cannot guarantee that a graduate will secure any specific job title, a promotion, salary increase or other career outcome. We encourage you to research requirements for your job target and career goals.
This career path tends to suit nurses who enjoy building ongoing relationships with their patients, have an interest in cosmetic medicine and want steadier, patient-elected work.
The terms used to describe professionals in aesthetic care can sometimes be confusing, so it helps to understand how these roles differ.
Your journey to become an aesthetic nurse starts with earning licensure as a registered nurse. From choosing an ADN or BSN to gaining clinical experience and specialized aesthetic training, the process progresses in stages.
If you want to become an aesthetic nurse but aren’t yet an RN, you’ll need to earn a nursing degree. Two common pathways are an ADN and a BSN.
Choose an accredited nursing program
When comparing nursing programs, ensure that they are accredited. This recognition indicates that a nursing program has undergone external review and meets the national standards for curriculum, faculty, student support and educational outcomes.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Capella University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). Use this guide to understand why accreditation is so important in nursing.
An ADN may offer you a more streamlined path into nursing practice, but a BSN may provide you with a broader preparation in clinical care, evidence-based practice, leadership and communication. These practical skills can better prepare you for a patient-facing specialty like aesthetics.
A bachelor’s degree may also be necessary if you want to go for graduate nursing education in the future, or you can explore RN-to-MSN degree pathways.
Licensed RNs with an associate degree can use Capella’s online RN-to-BSN program to earn their BSN while still working. This program combines online theoretical education with a competency-based learning capstone, so you can apply what you learn to real-world challenges.
You can also complete this program in the FlexPath learning format, where you set your own deadlines to balance work, education and life. As Capella BSN and MSN alum Denise Smith says, “My program was challenging but possible because of its flexibility. FlexPath allowed me to continue working full-time and do assignments at a pace that was right for me.”
If you’re new to nursing, Capella’s online BSN (Prelicensure) degree* program can give you a strong foundation in this field through career-focused online coursework, 550 hours of supervised clinical practice and two in-person skills labs.
*The BSN (Prelicensure) program at Capella University is available in select states.
If you’re a nursing student or haven’t yet earned your RN license, this step is for you. After completing your degree, you’ll need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), which tests the knowledge and clinical judgment expected of a nurse.
Once you pass, you can apply for licensure through your state’s board of nursing. However, every state has different licensure requirements, so you must confirm the specific regulations for where you plan to practice before enrolling in a nursing program.
Nursing experience may help you develop the clinical assessment, communication and medication-administration skills needed to care for patients safely. This experience signals to aesthetic employers that you already have the clinical foundation to move into a specialized field.
Relevant experience can include dermatology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology or facial plastic surgery/ENT. These specialties also align with the core specialties recognized by some aesthetic nursing certifications.
That said, RNs with experience in other areas can build transferable skills and then complete aesthetic-specific training as they prepare for this field.
The next step is to complete practical, aesthetics-specific training through a recognized provider, such as the American Academy of Facial Esthetics (AAFE). Look for reputable programs available in your state. A strong training program can teach you:
Choose a program that provides hands-on training, clinical mentorship and supervised practice instead of just lectures or online theory. Working with live models under supervision is where most nurses build real technique and confidence.
Aesthetic certification isn’t always a legal requirement for working in aesthetics, but an additional credential can demonstrate specialized knowledge and may help you stand out to employers and clients.
Common certifications include the Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist (CANS) and the Certified Plastic Surgery Nurse (CPSN) by the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB) and the Dermatology Nurse Certified (DNC) by the Dermatology Nurses’ Association.
Specialty certification also may require ongoing learning. The CANS recertification, for example, requires 45 approved contact hours through the continuing-education pathway, including at least two hours focused on patient safety and a minimum of 30 hours related to the core specialties: plastic/aesthetic surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, cosmetic surgery or facial plastic surgery/ear, nose and throat (ENT).
ENT specialists or otolaryngologists are doctors who focus on the ear, nose, throat and related areas. They have extensive training in face, head and neck anatomy, with facial plastic surgery being a core sub-specialty in this field.
From there, taking on assistant or support roles within an aesthetic practice might help you develop hands-on consultation techniques, build patient relationships, navigate the ethical considerations unique to elective care and refine your skills across a range of cosmetic procedures before working more independently.
If you want to go beyond being a regular RN and want to increase your scope of practice, you can pursue a career as an advanced practice registered nurse or nurse practitioner (NP) through graduate-level education and additional licensure.
Depending on the state, aesthetic NPs can have greater autonomy than RN-level aesthetic nurses, including prescribing authority and the ability to perform more advanced cosmetic procedures.
The starting points to become a nurse practitioner are similar to those of becoming a licensed RN. You need to complete a nursing degree, pass the NCLEX-RN exam and apply for your license, all while meeting your state-specific requirements.
A BSN is typically required for admission into graduate nursing programs, so it’s worth choosing this path early if you already know you want to pursue an NP career down the line rather than starting with an ADN.
After becoming a licensed RN, enroll in a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program designed to prepare you for licensure as an NP. This step is required: all nurse practitioners must complete a graduate degree to qualify for national certification. Aesthetics-specific NP programs are uncommon, so aspiring aesthetic NPs typically choose an NP population focus, such as Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) or Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), and then pursue aesthetic-specific education separately.
Capella University offers an online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – Nurse Practitioner degree, including FNP and AGPCNP specializations, which combine advanced nursing coursework with clinical practicum experiences. Throughout the program, you get support from Capella’s faculty, which includes doctoral-prepared educators and board-certified nurse practitioners.
You can apply for national board certification as a nurse practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) and pass the AANP exam for your specialty. Check your eligibility using the AANPCB’s exam handbooks.
After you pass this exam, you can pursue state licensure as a nurse practitioner. Your scope of practice and prescribing authority vary significantly by state, so it’s worth reviewing your state’s specific advanced practice regulations through the AANP’s state-by-state resource.
Once you’re a licensed nurse practitioner, the path into aesthetics looks similar to the RN track: hands-on aesthetic training followed by certification programs.
However, certification requirements can differ for NPs versus RNs. For example, to qualify for the CANS certification, nurse practitioners who practice independently must provide a letter of recommendation from a physician to whom they refer patients.
While training programs and certifications can build your technical and medical expertise, succeeding as an aesthetic nurse also requires a set of general soft skills to manage the demands of a patient-focused practice.
You can build these soft skills throughout your education through nursing practicums and resources like the Career Development Center at Capella, where you can ask for career guidance and insights from nursing alumni.
Aesthetic nursing requires two things in equal measure: solid clinical training and a genuine interest in the patient relationships that this specialty is built around.
Becoming an aesthetic nurse is a progressive path that starts with your nursing degree and license, builds through clinical experience and continues into aesthetic-specific training and certification.
From there, some nurses choose to specialize further as aesthetic nurse practitioners, taking on graduate education for greater autonomy in patient care.
If you’re at the very start of that path, Capella’s online BSN (Prelicensure) degree and RN-to-BSN program offer two ways to prepare for your nursing career, with structured online curricula enabling you to keep working as you learn.
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