Jacksonville police arrested a woman for allegedly running an illegal facial filler injection business out of her home.

After a joint investigation with other state agencies, the Jacksonville branch of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) made the arrest on Thursday, May 8, accusing the woman of importing and injecting customers with “mystery mail-order facial filler” inside her apartment without a medical license.

Read more at FOX 13 Tampa Bay >>

Understanding Florida med spa law

In Florida, dermal filler injections are considered the practice of medicine and must be performed by a licensed health care practitioner acting within their scope of practice, with appropriate training, and working under a signed written protocol from the supervising physician. Florida is one of the more restrictive states when it comes to scope of practice regulations for who can perform neuromodulators (botulinum toxin) and dermal fillers.

Physicians can inject, as can physician assistants and nurse practitioners who are trained in the procedure and who are working under a signed physician protocol. "Aesthetic injections," however, are not specifically authorized in the scope of practice for registered nurses. 

The Board has approved requests from RNs with appropriate training and experience to perform cosmetic injections when delegated by a physician who provides direct supervision, meaning physically present and having visualization of the injection, and the RN’s participation if set for in the informed consent provided to the patient. Those decisions only "apply to the petitioner's particular circumstances," so this does not authorize all RNs to inject. Read this article for more on the timeline of decisions from the nursing board.

Find a safe med spa practice in Florida

Arm yourself with knowledge to make informed decisions about where to get your dermal filler and other cosmetic procedures. Explore the recommendations of trusted med spa practitioners on what to look for in a safe medical aesthetic practice and check out our patient's guide to med spas for quick answers on how med spas ensure patient safety.