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Are you a nurse looking for a new direction? Still keen to keep using your practical and personal skills to change people’s lives?
There could be a home for you in aesthetic nursing.
The aesthetic industry is booming – and the non-surgical side in particular. Demand for non-invasive aesthetic treatments is now growing faster than cosmetic surgery.
And nurses have been at the forefront of the aesthetic revolution. They’ve been treating and caring for aesthetic patients since the early 1980s.
There are over 4,000 Aesthetic Nurses currently practising in the UK. So how do you go about joining them?
Aesthetic Nurse training – the requirements
While a minority of Aesthetic Nurses work in cosmetic surgery, most work on the non-surgical side.
Either based in clinics or self-employed in their own practices, they offer treatments like cosmetic injectables (Botox, dermal fillers), skin peels, sclerotherapy and medical micro-needling.
The most popular treatments by far are injectables. So if you’re serious about becoming an Aesthetic Nurse, you’ll need to pursue training in Botox and dermal fillers.
As long as you’re a Registered Nurse with current registration with the NMC, you’re eligible to train in the use of Botox and fillers.
Training can be completed in one day, and will qualify you to offer both Botox and filler treatments to your own patients.
But bear in mind that Botulinum Toxin is a prescription-only medicine. So unless you’re a Nurse Prescriber, you’ll always need to work with someone else who can prescribe it.
For that reason, we’d recommend your Aesthetic Nurse training also includes an Independent Nurse Prescriber Course. These are offered on a part-time basis at colleges and universities and can usually be completed in around 4 months.
Being able to prescribe Botulinum Toxin, as well as administer it, will make you a valuable asset to potential employers. It’ll also make it easier to set up and run your own business further down the line.
Other Aesthetic Nurse training options
Once you’ve trained in Botox and fillers, you’re ready to start practising as an Aesthetic Nurse. But in time, you’ll probably want to be able to offer more treatments to your patients.
You can add more to your repertoire at your own pace, as and when you’re ready. It’s simply a case of deciding which treatments you’d like to offer your patients, and completing the appropriate course.
Most non-surgical treatments only need a one-day course, letting you get up to speed very quickly. At Cosmetic Courses, we offer a wide range of one-day courses, including Microsclerotherapy, Chemical Peels, Dermaroller and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy.
You might also want to consider advanced Botox and dermal filler courses to learn more specialist techniques like chemical brow lift and peri-oral sculpting.
Whatever you choose to learn on your Aesthetic Nurse training journey, it’s a great time to get on the aesthetics learning curve.
If the UK market keeps growing (and with an increasing – and ageing – population, it seems likely), you can expect to carve out an extremely rewarding career, both financially and professionally.
Find out more about Aesthetic Nurse training
Cosmetic Courses are the UK’s most established aesthetic training provider, with centres in Buckinghamshire, London, Kent, Birmingham and Manchester.
To date, we’ve trained over 3,000 nurses and other medical professionals to administer safe, effective treatments to their patients. Want to find out more about our Aesthetic Nurse training courses? Give us a call on 01844 318317 or email [email protected].
Libby Stewart; as one of Cosmetic Courses’ most experienced Trainers, how did your career move from Mainstream Nursing into Aesthetic Nursing?
My career path into Medical Aesthetics is probably true of a lot of Nurses. I stumbled into it by chance.
Working with Mr Adrian Richards
I worked with Mr Adrian Richards (Plastic Surgeon and Founder of Cosmetic Courses) in theatre, where I was a Bank Nurse on his surgery team and worked with him regularly.
Mr Richards saw the need to develop medical aesthetics to assist with his surgical work. For example: a lot of patients were prepared for surgery through injections of botox into areas like the platysmal bands. Also, surgery can only counteract loose skin, not really permanently replace volume. So the two professions are very nicely linked.
Medical Aesthetic Nurse Training
When I was asked to do a Medical Aesthetics training course to be of assistance to him, I didn’t really think it was for me. I didn’t think it was for “real” nurses. I didn’t think I would like it.
When I first started, I was sleepless with nerves! My first few clinics were far too busy. I became over-faced, flustered and really had to pull myself together. But I pulled myself up like Mary Poppins and said “I’m made of tougher stuff than that!”
I learnt that by spacing your patients out, giving yourself enough time with them, some breathing space and learning tricks like turning your back to your patients when you’re drawing up your Botox, it really helps.
It was not too long before I had the Botox bug and now here I am today!
Libby trains nurses, doctors, dentists and other medical professionals on Foundation to Advanced level courses in Botox and Dermal Fillers, daily at The Cosmetic Courses National Cosmetic Training Centre in Buckinghamshire. Call 0845 230 4110 to book your course with Libby and the Team.
