What Does an Aesthetic Nurse Do?

Aesthetic nursing is a lesser-known area of healthcare that isn’t often recognized or discussed. Many have never even heard the term.

However, aesthetic nurses hold a unique and important role within the greater healthcare industry. 

Though not nearly as common as other types of nurses, aesthetic nurses specialize in types of procedures that can significantly enhance the quality of life for a wide spectrum of people.

They can meet needs that would otherwise be difficult to provide adequate treatment for. This article will explore their role within the healthcare landscape.

What Is an Aesthetic Nurse?

As might be self-explanatory, aesthetic nursing has to do with a patient’s external health and appearance. Aesthetic nursing can provide a wide variety of care types and services.

These include things like skincare care and alterations (such as scar and tattoo removals), botox injections, post-surgery aesthetic treatment, laser hair removal, and more.

Job Responsibilities of an Aesthetic Nurse

Aesthetic nurses work in a variety of settings and service areas.

Though their jobs and normal work activities might vary substantially from position to position, most aesthetic nurses will perform many of the same basic functions:

Conducting Assessments and Intake Appointments 

Whether or not an aesthetic nurse might be responsible for facilitating a treatment or procedure from beginning to end, this journey almost always begins with patient intake or initial consultations and aesthetic nurses hold a key role in this step. 

Aesthetic nurses speak with individuals who need, or are interested, in the services they provide.

These conversations help medical staff better understand an individual’s situation, medical history, needs, and any potentially complicating factors that would need to be considered before deciding on a treatment plan.

Providing Recommendations and Guidance According to Patient Needs

After discussing a prospective patient’s situation, an aesthetic nurse is often responsible for providing helpful advice and guidance to help the patient decide what course of action is best for them.

Aesthetic nurses can help individuals understand options, treatment types, and other important information they may need to decide about the next steps.

Performing Procedures and Care 

Once a course of action has been finalized, aesthetic nurses are often involved in administering any procedures or treatment that a patient may need. A few factors determine how this looks.

Depending on state regulations, the nurse’s level of education, and what other medical personnel are involved, a nurse might not have any involvement in the actual treatment or procedure process, or they may complete it single-handedly.

However, almost any aesthetic nurse will have at least some involvement in administering care.

Advocating for Patient Needs 

Also, liaising between the patient and other involved medical professionals. Patient advocacy is an integral part of a nurse’s profession.

Aesthetic nurses are often the first medical professionals to interact with patients by initiating the consultation process to understand their needs. 

Effective nurses then actively advocate on behalf of that patient to make sure their needs are met as timely, effective, and safe as possible.

This sometimes requires representing patient interests with medical colleagues and staff.

Providing Follow-up Care After Consultations, Appointments, or Procedures 

Whatever the procedure or treatment process entails, it will almost always involve some kind of follow-up care or consultation to make sure the intervention was successful.

Aesthetic nurses are very often involved in providing this aspect of care. This may involve phone calls, post-treatment appointments, any concluding treatment advice, stitch removal, and more.

Together, these various responsibilities and activities (and sometimes additional facets not mentioned here for particular types of aesthetic nursing) make up the professional experience of the aesthetic nurse.

Specialty Areas for Aesthetic Nurses

It’s important to note that aesthetic nursing positions can come in a spectrum of sub varieties.

An aesthetic nurse’s specialty type informs his or her average day or week on the job, the types of activities he or she may or may not do, the amount of interaction he or she may have with patients, the amount of follow-up or administrative work he or she may be responsible for, and more.

Aesthetic nursing specialties include a few distinct types:

Though the term “cosmetic nurse” is sometimes used interchangeably for “aesthetic nurse,” it can sometimes distinguish a select set of treatment types.

These could include soft tissue fillers (injections that aesthetically bulk or fill areas of the body including lips or cheeks), microdermabrasion (the process of creating microscopic wounds in the skin to promote the growth of new skin), or chemical peels (applying chemicals to the skin’s surface to remove outer layers and initiate new growth to remove blemishes or discolorations).

Botox nurses work specifically with substance injections under the skin to accomplish wrinkle removal, minor aesthetic changes to the face or body, and more.

Laser nurses employ lasers to make surface-level changes to the appearance of the skin.

Lasers can be used to remove unwanted tattoos and reduce the visibility of acne, scars, burns, stretch marks, psoriasis, and others. Lasers can also be used to accomplish hair removal.

Aesthetic nursing covers a wide range of practice types and job descriptions. Aesthetic nurses can pursue positions that might vary widely across responsibilities and average experiences.

However, aesthetic nurses all have a goal in common – to help increase the quality of life, confidence, and daily experience of their patients and clients.