Georgia Med Spa Regulations

Who can inject Botox and dermal fillers in Georgia?

Georgia has no med-spa-specific statute; the Composite Medical Board's FAQ position governs. Cosmetic injections (botulinum toxin, soft-tissue fillers) may be performed by physicians (MD/DO), PAs with a Board-approved job description and Additional Duty Request, APRNs/NPs with a Board-approved nurse protocol agreement and Form C, and RNs (who have no prescriptive authority but may inject with appropriate training and a written order from a physician). Physicians may not delegate injections to medical assistants or other unlicensed persons, and doing so is defined as Unprofessional Conduct.

Full guide: Who Can Inject Botox in Georgia? RN, APRN & PA Scope of Practice 2026 →

Source: Georgia Composite Medical Board — FAQs (botulinum toxin/filler injection delegation), GCMB IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement (May 7, 2026) — RN/LPN administration under individualized order

Does Georgia require a good-faith exam before treatment?

A prior patient evaluation is required. The Board FAQ states the physician should examine/prescribe before an RN/PA/APRN injects; the IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement requires a completed history & physical by a physician, NP, or PA and says standing orders are not a substitute for an individualized order and H&P; and cosmetic-laser Rule 360-35-.05 requires patients be examined by a consulting physician (or a PA/APRN cosmetic laser practitioner) before any laser service other than hair removal or pulsed-light treatment. Georgia's telemedicine Rule 360-3-.07 permits establishing the patient relationship and evaluating by electronic means, held to the same standard of care as in-person care (though it bars electronic prescribing of controlled substances for pain, which does not implicate typical aesthetic/IV services).

Source: GCMB IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement (May 7, 2026) — required H&P by physician/NP/PA; standing orders insufficient, Georgia Composite Medical Board — FAQs (physician should examine/prescribe), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-35-.05 (exam by consulting physician before laser service), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-3-.07 (telemedicine — electronic evaluation, same standard of care)

Does a med spa in Georgia need a medical director?

Georgia does not use a 'medical director' title, but every non-physician provider must have a physician in a delegating, supervising, or consulting role. An APRN needs a delegating physician and a nurse protocol agreement (the physician must document on-site observation at least annually and quarterly chart reviews); a PA needs a Board-approved primary supervising physician and job description; and a cosmetic-laser facility must have a consulting physician who files name, address, credentials, and treatment protocols with the Board. The physician retains ultimate responsibility for delegated acts, so a physician relationship is effectively mandatory for a med spa offering medical services.

Full guide: Georgia Med Spa Medical Director Requirements 2026: GCMB Rules →

Source: GCMB IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement — delegating physician duties (annual on-site observation, quarterly chart review), citing O.C.G.A. 43-34-25 & Rule 360-32-.05, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-35-.06 (Consulting Physician for laser facilities), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-32-.04 (nurse protocol agreement conditions)

Can a non-physician own a med spa in Georgia?

Georgia has no med-spa-specific ownership statute and does not actively enforce a standalone corporate-practice-of-medicine ban (its former CPOM statute was repealed in 1982), so a non-physician may own the med-spa business entity — physician ownership is not strictly required. However, a professional corporation organized to render medical services may issue or transfer shares only to persons licensed to practice that profession (O.C.G.A. 14-7-5), and a physician may not be the employee of an APRN (or PA) he or she is required to supervise except in limited statutory settings (O.C.G.A. 43-34-25(n); Rule 360-32-.04(5)). The Board reads that employment bar broadly to reach any monetary or non-monetary compensation paid by an APRN or APRN-owned company for the supervising role, including third-party 'collaborating physician' matching arrangements. (The repeal/non-enforcement conclusion rests partly on secondary commentary; the cited sources establish the shareholder and supervision-employment constraints.)

Full guide: Who Can Own a Med Spa in Georgia? CPOM, PC & MSO Guide 2026 →

Source: O.C.G.A. 14-7-5 — shares of a professional corporation issuable only to persons licensed in the profession, GCMB IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement — O.C.G.A. 43-34-25(n) bar on physician being employee of a supervised APRN; broad interpretation of compensation, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-32-.04(5) (physician shall not be employee of the APRN he supervises)

What supervision does Georgia require for med-spa procedures?

For an APRN, the delegating physician must remain available for immediate consultation, document direct on-site observation of the APRN's practice at least annually, and conduct quarterly medical-record reviews (Rule 360-32-.04/.05). For a PA, the supervising physician need not be in the same building if the Board-approved job description allows the task and immediate consultation is available, but must directly and physically supervise tasks outside the approved job description (Rule 360-5-.04). For cosmetic lasers, an assistant laser practitioner requires on-site supervision by a physician or a licensed senior laser practitioner, except for laser hair removal and pulsed-light treatments (Rule 360-35-.05).

Source: GCMB IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement — APRN and PA supervision framework, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-32-.04 (nurse protocol supervision conditions), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-35-.05 (on-site supervision of assistant laser practitioners)

What can an esthetician legally do in Georgia?

Under O.C.G.A. 43-10-1, 'esthetics' is limited to skin-care and grooming services — massaging the face/neck/decolletage/arms; trimming/tweezing/shaping/threading eyebrows; dyeing lashes or brows or applying lash extensions; and waxing, threading, stimulating, cleansing, or beautifying the face/neck/arms/torso/legs by hand or mechanical/electrical apparatus. The statute expressly provides that esthetics 'shall not include the diagnosis, treatment, or therapy of any dermatological condition or medical aesthetics or the use of lasers,' so a Georgia esthetician may not inject, operate lasers, or perform medical procedures.

Source: O.C.G.A. 43-10-1 — definition of esthetics; exclusion of medical aesthetics and lasers

Who can operate a cosmetic laser in Georgia?

Georgia is a licensure state for cosmetic lasers: the Composite Medical Board issues Senior and Assistant Cosmetic Laser Practitioner licenses. Under Rule 360-35-.05, cosmetic laser services may be performed by physicians, by PAs and APRNs who are licensed cosmetic laser practitioners, by senior laser practitioners (who may practice independently and supervise assistants), and by assistant laser practitioners under on-site supervision of a physician or senior practitioner. A consulting physician must examine each patient — or delegate the exam to a PA/APRN cosmetic laser practitioner — before any service other than laser hair removal or pulsed-light treatment (Rule 360-35-.06). Estheticians are statutorily barred from using lasers.

Full guide: Georgia Laser Safety Regulations for Med Spas 2026: GCMB Rules →

Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-35-.05 (Practice — who may perform cosmetic laser services), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-35-.06 (Consulting Physician), GA Composite Medical Board — Cosmetic Laser Practitioner (Senior and Assistant) licensure, GA Composite Medical Board Rules Chapter 360-35 (Lasers) — official state rules portal

What are the rules for IV therapy and vitamin drips in Georgia?

Per the Composite Medical Board's IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement (dated May 7, 2026), IV hydration, nutrient therapies, and medications may be ordered or prescribed only by a physician, an APRN with an active prescriptive nurse protocol, or a PA with an appropriate job description acting within scope, and may be administered by an RN or by an LPN under appropriate supervision — but only after a valid individualized order and a completed history & physical by the physician, NP, or PA. Standing/menu-based orders without individualized evaluation are not permitted, and in walk-in, mobile, or drip-bar settings an RN or LPN may not be the only licensed professional evaluating, diagnosing, and treating the patient.

Source: GCMB IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement (May 7, 2026)

Does a med spa have to register or hold a license in Georgia?

Georgia has no med-spa-specific license or business registration; a medical spa operates under the general Medical Practice Act and the licenses of its providers, and the Board's FAQ contains no med-spa registry. There is no central 'med spa' filing, but the underlying supervision documents must be on file with the Board — APRN nurse protocol agreements and PA job descriptions are Board-approved and filed, and cosmetic-laser facilities must file the consulting physician's name, address, credentials, and treatment protocols with the Board (Rule 360-35-.06/.07). The Board also requires licensees to publicly post who the delegating/supervising/consulting physician is and how to contact them.

Source: Georgia Composite Medical Board — FAQs (no med-spa license/registration addressed; delegation rules govern), Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-35-.06 (laser facility must file consulting physician and protocols with Board), GCMB IV Hydration/Therapy Position Statement — Board-approved protocol/job-description filing; public posting of supervising physician

What are the penalties for practicing outside scope in Georgia?

Practicing medicine without a license — including performing medical procedures beyond one's scope or a physician improperly delegating them — is a felony under O.C.G.A. 43-34-42, punishable by a $1,000.00 fine per violation and/or imprisonment of two to five years (with a $5,000 fine/2–5 years for using forged credentials or a false name). Separately, the Composite Medical Board may impose administrative discipline under O.C.G.A. 43-34-8, including a fine of up to $3,000.00 per violation plus administrative costs, and may refuse, restrict, place on probation, suspend, limit, or revoke a license. Delegating injections to medical assistants or other unlicensed persons is expressly defined by the Board as Unprofessional Conduct, an independent disciplinary ground.

Source: O.C.G.A. 43-34-42 — penalty for unlicensed practice of medicine (felony; $1,000/violation and/or 2–5 years), O.C.G.A. 43-34-8 — grounds for discipline; fine up to $3,000/violation; suspension/revocation, Georgia Composite Medical Board — FAQs (delegating injections to medical assistants is Unprofessional Conduct)