May an esthetician or laser technician perform microneedling in District of Columbia?
Oversight · part of The Practice Perimeter
Short answer
The rules never name microneedling, but DC bars cosmetology licensees from devices affecting more than the top epidermal layer, and work below the stratum corneum is the practice of medicine — so it is not an esthetician's to perform.
Esthetics – the application of creams, lotions, scrubs, polishes, waxes, cosmetics, eyelashes, and other beauty treatments directly onto the skin to bring about a temporary improvement in appearance, excluding peels and microdermabrasion; and the removal of superfluous hair from the face and neck area of any person by the use of depilatories, waxing or tweezers. Master esthetics - esthetics and more specialized skincare treatments, including microdermabrasion, resurfacing, and chemical peel.
17 DCMR § 3799.1 (Definitions — “Esthetics”; “Master esthetics”) · verified Sep 7, 2026 · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice
Related District of Columbia rules
The practice of basic esthetics is limited to listed skin care procedures done for cosmetic purposes and not for the treatment of medical, physical, or mental ailments, and its hair-removal component is limited to removing superfluous hair by means other than electrolysis, laser procedures, or intense pulsed light.
17 DCMR § 3799.1 (Definitions — “Practice of basic esthetics”) · verified Sep 8, 2026
The practice of medicine includes offering or performing any type of invasive procedure of the body, whether through a body opening or a cutting of the skin, or otherwise affecting the layer of skin below the stratum corneum, for surgical, therapeutic, or cosmetic purposes, excluding procedures known as body tattooing or body piercing.
D.C. Code §3-1201.02(7)(A)(iv) · verified Sep 3, 2026
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