Mississippi Med Spa Regulations
Mississippi has no med-spa-specific statute; cosmetic injectables and laser/IPL are the practice of medicine regulated by the Board of Medical Licensure, performed by physicians and by NPs/PAs (and, for certain laser procedures, RNs) acting under physician collaboration or supervision, with a physician required physically on-premises for any laser/IPL and a good-faith exam required before treatment.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-21
Who can inject Botox and dermal fillers in Mississippi?
Botulinum toxin and dermal-filler injections are the practice of medicine, so physicians (MD/DO) may inject; appropriately prepared nurse practitioners (specifically FNPs, ACNPs, ANPs/AGNPs and CRNAs) may inject under a collaborative agreement in which the collaborating physician has examined the patient and documented chart approval; and physician assistants may inject as a delegated medical service under a Board-approved supervising-physician protocol. Registered nurses and LPNs may NOT perform Botox or filler injections in Mississippi.
Source: MS Board of Nursing FAQ — Botox/filler outside RN & LPN scope, MSBML Policy 3.15 — Joint MSBML/BON policy on NP administration of Botox, MS Board of Nursing, General Guidance for APRNs 2025 — Aesthetics (FNP/ACNP/ANP/CRNA approved), MSBML Part 2615 Physician Assistants, Rule 1.1 — PA delegated medical services
Does Mississippi require a good-faith exam before treatment?
A good-faith exam is required before ordering any prescription treatment: MSBML rules require the physician to obtain a thorough medical history and conduct an appropriate physical and/or mental examination before prescribing any medication, and the joint Botox policy requires the collaborating physician to have examined the patient and documented chart approval before an NP injects. The exam may be conducted via telemedicine if the technology conveys the same information as a face-to-face exam, but a simple questionnaire without an appropriate exam violates Board policy.
Source: MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 7 Rule 7.1 (Internet Prescribing) — history + exam before prescribing any medication, MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 5 Rules 5.4-5.5 (Telemedicine) — exam need not be in person; questionnaire-only prohibited, MSBML Policy 3.15 — collaborating physician must examine patient and document approval of Botox
Does a med spa in Mississippi need a medical director?
Mississippi has no statute requiring a titled 'medical director' or a facility license for a med spa, but physician oversight is functionally mandatory for the medical services offered: any laser or IPL use requires a physician physically on the premises, NPs must have a collaborating physician with a filed collaborative agreement, and PAs must have a Board-approved supervising physician. There is no separate medical-director designation or registration for med spas.
Source: MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 3 Rule 3.1 — laser/IPL limited to physicians and those directly supervised, physician on premises, MS Board of Nursing, General Guidance for APRNs 2025 — collaborating physician required; physician must be on premises during laser/IPL, MSBML Part 2615 Rule 1.2 — definition of Supervising Physician
Can a non-physician own a med spa in Mississippi?
Mississippi does not enforce a strict corporate-practice-of-medicine prohibition: MSBML Policy 3.02 states the Board will 'not concern itself with the form or type of business arrangements' a licensee enters, provided the physician retains sole and absolute discretion over patient treatment and medical judgment, controls billing/fees, and avoids kickbacks. However, per Miss. Code Ann. 79-10-31 a professional corporation rendering medical services may have only licensed physicians as shareholders, so while non-physician management/business structures are permitted, a lay person cannot own the medical professional corporation itself.
What supervision does Mississippi require for med-spa procedures?
Physician supervision/collaboration underpins all med-spa clinical services. 'Auxiliaries' (RNs, LPNs, NPs, etc.) act 'under the supervision' of a physician who critically watches, directs, advises, oversees and inspects their actions; NPs practice under a collaborative agreement and protocol filed with the Board of Nursing; PAs practice as agents of a Board-approved supervising physician under a mutually agreed, Board-approved protocol; medical assistants may act only while the physician is present in the clinic; and for laser/IPL a physician must be on the premises.
Source: MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 1 Rule 1.2 — 'Auxiliary' and 'Under the supervision' definitions; Rule 3.1 laser supervision, MSBML Part 2615 Rules 1.1/1.2/1.5 — PA supervision, supervising physician, and protocol requirement, MSBML Policy 3.12 (Medical Assistants — physician in clinic at all times) & 3.15 (NP collaborative protocol)
What can an esthetician legally do in Mississippi?
Estheticians are licensed by the Mississippi Board of Cosmetology and are limited to superficial, non-medical skin care; they may not inject neurotoxins or fillers and may not operate lasers or IPL because those are the practice of medicine (and outside nursing scope). The Board of Nursing expressly bars APRNs and RNs from delegating aesthetic procedures to aestheticians, who 'must remain within their scope of practice as defined by their governing board.'
Source: MS Board of Nursing, General Guidance for APRNs 2025 — APRNs may not delegate aesthetic procedures to aestheticians; aestheticians stay within governing-board scope, MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 3 Rule 3.1 — laser/pulsed light is the practice of medicine, MS Board of Nursing FAQ — Botox/filler and laser vascular-lesion removal outside RN/LPN scope (a fortiori outside esthetician scope)
Who can operate a cosmetic laser in Mississippi?
Use of laser, pulsed light or similar devices for cosmetic or invasive procedures is the practice of medicine, limited to physicians and those directly supervised by physicians such that a physician is on the premises and would be directly involved in the treatment if required. Appropriately trained RNs may perform laser hair removal (but NOT laser vascular-lesion removal), and NPs and PAs may perform laser procedures under the required physician collaboration/supervision; estheticians may not operate lasers.
Source: MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 3 Rule 3.1 — laser/IPL = practice of medicine; physician on premises and directly involved if required, MS Board of Nursing FAQ — RN may perform laser hair removal (with supervising physician/APRN immediately available); not laser vascular lesion removal, MS Board of Nursing, General Guidance for APRNs 2025 — APRN laser hair removal permitted; BOML requirement physician on premises during laser/IPL
What are the rules for IV therapy and vitamin drips in Mississippi?
Mississippi has no med-spa-specific IV-therapy rule; the answer is assembled from the general prescribing and delegation framework. Because IV hydration/vitamin infusions use prescription products, a physician, NP or PA must order them only after a good-faith history and examination, and a registered nurse (or the prescriber) may administer the infusion as a delegated act under physician supervision; nurses cannot independently prescribe the therapy.
Source: MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 7 Rule 7.1 — history + examination required before prescribing any medication, MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 1 Rule 1.2 — auxiliaries (incl. RNs) act only under physician supervision
Does a med spa have to register or hold a license in Mississippi?
There is no med-spa license, registration or inspection regime in Mississippi — the Board of Nursing states it 'does not license, regulate, certify or inspect any business owned or operated by an APRN,' expressly including Med Spas, telehealth, and mobile or physical clinics, and no board issues a med-spa permit. The only registration in the medical rules applies to physicians performing Level II or Level III office-based surgery, who must register with the Board of Medical Licensure; routine med-spa services (Level I — topical/local, no drug-induced alteration of consciousness) require no such registration.
Source: MS Board of Nursing, General Guidance for APRNs 2025 — Business Ownership (BON does not license/regulate/inspect med spas), MSBML Part 2635, Ch. 2 Rule 2.2(D) — physicians performing Level II/III office-based surgery must register with MSBML
What are the penalties for practicing outside scope in Mississippi?
Practicing medicine without a license is a misdemeanor under Miss. Code Ann. 97-23-43: first offense $100-$200 fine and/or 3-12 months in county jail, second offense $200-$500 and/or 1-2 years imprisonment, with later offenses capped at a $5,000 fine or five years; the Board may also seek an injunction to stop unlicensed practice (73-51-1). Licensees face Board discipline under 73-25-83 and 73-25-87 — denial, public or private reprimand, license suspension/limitation/restriction up to five years, or revocation — for unprofessional conduct, which includes knowingly assisting an unlicensed person to practice medicine.
Source: Miss. Code Ann. 97-23-43 — Practicing profession/medicine without a license (criminal penalties), Miss. Code Ann. 73-51-1 — Injunction to prohibit unlicensed practice of a profession, Miss. Code Ann. 73-25-83 & 73-25-87 — grounds for and scope of Board disciplinary action
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This information is provided for general educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Regulations change — verify current requirements with your state medical/nursing board before acting.