Who may operate a cosmetic laser in New Jersey?
Oversight · part of The Practice Perimeter
Short answer
The cited rules do not settle this — they establish only that using a laser counts as surgery under the office-surgery rules, and separately that a cosmetology licensee may not work below the stratum corneum. No rule here names who may fire the device.
For the purposes of the office-surgery rules, surgery means a manual or operative procedure, including the use of lasers, performed upon the body to preserve health, diagnose or treat disease, repair injury, correct deformity or defect, prolong life or relieve suffering.
N.J.A.C. 13:35-4A.3 · verified Aug 17, 2026 · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice
Related New Jersey rules
An unlicensed aide may administer exactly five physical modalities: hot packs, cold packs, paraffin baths, contrast baths and whirlpool baths. No other modality — including TENS or traction — may be delegated to an unlicensed aide, and an aide may not carry out a rehabilitative exercise program.
N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.14(d) · verified Aug 17, 2026 · read at Cornell Legal Information Institute
The doctor must determine every component of the precise treatment for the present session — the modality, the extent of the area treated, the length of treatment and any factor peculiar to that modality’s risks, such as strict avoidance of certain parts of the body. That must be set down as a written order on the patient’s chart and be available at all times to the assistant carrying it out.
N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.14(e)2 · verified Aug 17, 2026 · read at Cornell Legal Information Institute
How other states answer this
- Alabama
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- District of Columbia
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- Maryland
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- Ohio
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- Oregon
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- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
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Related New Jersey questions
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- What must the supervising physician actually do in New Jersey?
- Can a medical assistant give injections in New Jersey?
- May an esthetician or laser technician perform microneedling in New Jersey?
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