Who may operate a cosmetic laser in South Carolina?
Oversight · part of The Practice Perimeter
Short answer
The cited rules do not settle this — only that a certified medical assistant may use tissue-destroying lasers on a physician's direct delegation, with that physician immediately available and the task within the CMA's competency; not by a PA or APRN.
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 · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice
Related South Carolina rules
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
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Related South Carolina questions
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← All South Carolina rules and changes · MedSpaRadar is regulatory monitoring and reference: it summarizes public laws, regulations and agency actions and links each to its source. It is not legal, medical, or compliance advice, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. A summary can lag its source or leave out detail, and monitoring itself can be interrupted — so an absence of alerts means nothing reached you, not that nothing happened. Read the cited source, check its effective date, and confirm any change to your operations or clinical practice with qualified health-law counsel and your medical director. Legislative data via LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).