South Carolina medical director requirements for med spas

Physician supervision & delegation in South Carolina

South Carolina reaches supervision and delegation failures through the Board of Medical Examiners’ misconduct grounds: knowingly performing an act that in any way assists an UNLICENSED person to practice is itself misconduct, as is being convicted of or sanctioned for illegal or unauthorized practice, and so is assisting or abetting a violation of the medical practice laws. The exposure therefore runs to the licensee who lets an unlicensed person perform, not only to that person.

• Misconduct that constitutes grounds for disciplinary action is a showing to the board by the preponderance of evidence that a licensee has knowingly performed an act that in any way assists an unlicensed person to practice.

  S.C. Code §40-47-110(B)(7) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• Misconduct that constitutes grounds for disciplinary action is a showing to the board by the preponderance of evidence that a licensee has been convicted of or sanctioned for illegal or unauthorized practice.

  S.C. Code §40-47-110(B)(6) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• Misconduct that constitutes grounds for disciplinary action is a showing to the board by the preponderance of evidence that a licensee has intentionally violated or attempted to violate, directly or indirectly, or is assisting in or abetting the violation of or conspiring to violate the medical practice laws.

  S.C. Code §40-47-110(B)(12) · verified Sep 3, 2026

• ⚠️ SOUTH CAROLINA DEFINES THE ESTHETICIAN BY PURPOSE, AND THE PURPOSE IS THE SURFACE OF THE SKIN. "Esthetician" means a person including, but not limited to, an independent contractor, who is licensed to practice skin care, make-up, or similar work. Skin care is for the sole purpose of beautifying the skin. Nothing in that definition reaches puncturing the skin, and microneedling is not named anywhere in Chapter 13. An operator should read this as the limit of the COSMETOLOGY license, not as a statewide ban — the medical side of the line is §40-47-20(36).

  S.C. Code §40-13-20(5) (⛔ definition of “Esthetician” — skin care for the SOLE PURPOSE of beautifying the skin) · verified Sep 7, 2026

• "Cosmetology" means engaging in any of these practices or a combination of these practices when done for compensation either directly or indirectly: (a) arranging, styling, thermal curling, chemical waving, pressing, shampooing, cutting, shaping, chemical bleaching, chemical coloring, chemical relaxing, or similar work, upon the hair, wig, or hairpiece of any person, by any means, with hands or mechanical or electrical apparatus or appliances; (b) using cosmetic preparations, make-up, antiseptics, lotions, creams, chemical preparations on, or otherwise, or waxing, tweezing, cleansing, stimulating, manipulating, beautifying, or similar work on the scalp, legs, feet, face, neck, arms, hands; or (c) manicuring or pedicuring the nails of a person or similar work.

  S.C. Code §40-13-20(2) (definition of “Cosmetology” — an enumerated list, every limb of it worked ON a surface) · verified Sep 7, 2026

• "Practice of Medicine" means: … (c) offering or undertaking to prevent or to diagnose, correct or treat in any manner, or by any means, methods, or devices, disease, illness, pain, wound, fracture, infirmity, defect, or abnormal physical or mental condition of a person, including the management of pregnancy and parturition; (d) offering or undertaking to perform any surgical operation upon a person;

  S.C. Code §40-47-20(36)(c)-(d) (definition of “Practice of Medicine” — the other side of the line) · verified Sep 7, 2026

• Specific tasks may be delegated to a certified medical assistant (CMA) by a physician, by a physician assistant if authorized to do so in the scope of practice guidelines, or by an advanced practice registered nurse if authorized to do so in the practice agreement; but the following tasks must not be delegated to a CMA by a physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse: administering controlled medications, intravenous medications, contrast agents, or chemotherapy agents; injecting neurotoxin products, neuromodulatory agents, or tissue fillers; using lasers or instruments that result in tissue destruction; and placing sutures.

  S.C. Code §40-47-196(A) · verified Sep 8, 2026

• Delegated medical acts are additional acts delegated by a physician or dentist to a physician assistant, respiratory care practitioner, anesthesiologist's assistant, or other practitioner authorized by law under approved written scope of practice guidelines or approved written protocols, and must be performed under the supervision of a physician or dentist who must be readily or immediately available for consultation; and immediately available, for the purpose of supervising unlicensed personnel, means being located within the office and ready for immediate utilization when needed.

  S.C. Code §40-47-20(12), (18) · verified Sep 8, 2026

• A physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse may delegate specified tasks to a certified medical assistant only if the task is delegated directly and not through another licensed practitioner, the task is performed when the delegating practitioner is in such close proximity as to be immediately available to the CMA if needed, and the delegating practitioner determines that the task is within the training and competency of the CMA and will not pose a significant risk to the patient if improperly performed.

  S.C. Code §40-47-196(B)(1)–(3) · verified Sep 8, 2026

Recent South Carolina changes

• SC S0046: Healthcare contractsJan 14, 2025
• SC H4084: Dental administration of neuromodulatorsMar 7, 2023