Who may operate a cosmetic laser, state by state
The same question, answered for 4states from each state’s own law. States disagree on this, which is the point — an answer that is right in one is wrong next door. Every entry below is a statute or board rule we verified, most recently Aug 17, 2026.
Oversight · part of The Practice Perimeter
California
A physician may delegate injectable and laser procedures only to appropriately licensed personnel — registered nurses, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants — under genuine supervision. Unlicensed staff (including medical assistants) and improperly licensed staff (estheticians, cosmetologists, LVNs) may not perform them, regardless of training. A “paper” medical-director arrangement is aiding and abetting the unlicensed practice of medicine.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §2052; Medical Board of California — Medical Spas guidance · verified Jul 26, 2026
The full California answer, with the rest of the section →Indiana
The “practice of medicine” includes prescribing or administering any form of treatment and procedures that cut, burn, or vaporize tissue by mechanical means, laser, or penetration of the skin — the statutory basis for treating cosmetic injectables and energy-device procedures as medicine.
Ind. Code §25-22.5-1-1.1 · verified Jul 26, 2026
The full Indiana answer, with the rest of the section →New York
On March 7, 2025 the New York State Board for Medicine determined that using any energy device, including a laser, which affects the basement membrane or deeper tissue (the dermis or fat) to treat a physical condition is the practice of medicine. The Education Department has adopted that determination for every physical condition EXCEPT laser hair removal, on which — relying on People v. Lehrman — it has not acted. So laser skin rejuvenation, tattoo removal, lesion removal and spider-vein treatment are medical acts in New York, while laser hair removal sits outside the adopted determination.
N.Y. State Board for Medicine — Use of Energy Devices Including Lasers as the Practice of Medicine (Mar. 7, 2025) · verified Aug 17, 2026
The full New York answer, with the rest of the section →Texas
A Texas physician may delegate a medical act — including cosmetic injections, dermal fillers, and cosmetic laser use — to a qualified, properly trained person acting under the physician’s supervision, where a reasonable and prudent physician would find it consistent with sound medical judgment. The delegating physician remains responsible for the delegated act.
Tex. Occ. Code §157.001 · verified Jul 26, 2026
The full Texas answer, with the rest of the section →Which states this covers
4 of the 6 states for which we publish statute-cited rules. That is not every state, and nothing above should be read as describing one that is not listed — the answer genuinely differs, so a neighbouring state is not a guide. We monitor all 50 state legislatures plus the FDA and the Federal Register daily; the cited rule set is narrower than the monitoring and is growing on its own timetable.
What we track in every state →Get regulatory changes as they publish
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Med Spa Radar is regulatory monitoring and reference, not legal, medical, or compliance advice. Verify against the linked primary source and consult qualified counsel before acting — rules change and turn on your specific facts. Legislative data via LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).