Question 1

Who can inject Botox and dermal fillers in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Injecting prescription products (e.g., neurotoxins, dermal fillers) is the practice of medicine because it involves prescribing/administering prescription drugs and treating a condition (W.S. 33-26-102(a)(xi)(B),(E)). Physicians (MD/DO) may inject; APRNs may independently prescribe and administer prescriptive medications with no required supervision (W.S. 33-21-120(a)(i)(A); WSBN); PAs practice medicine and may prescribe/administer (W.S. 33-26-502(b), 33-26-510(c)); and RNs may administer/inject drugs prescribed by an authorized prescriber as execution of the medical regimen (W.S. 33-21-120(a)(xi)).

Question 2

Does Wyoming require a good-faith exam before treatment?

Accepted Answer

Wyoming has no med-spa-specific 'good faith exam' statute, but rendering a diagnosis, a determination of medical necessity/appropriateness of treatment, and prescribing are all the practice of medicine (W.S. 33-26-102(a)(xi)(B),(E),(F)), which presupposes forming a physician-patient relationship (W.S. 33-26-102(a)(xx)) before treatment. Telemedicine is expressly recognized as the practice of medicine and the Board is authorized to regulate it (W.S. 33-26-102(a)(xxix); 33-26-202(b)(xix)), so the required evaluation/relationship may be established via telehealth; there is no promulgated rule mandating a prior in-person exam.

Question 3

Does a med spa in Wyoming need a medical director?

Accepted Answer

No Wyoming statute or rule requires a medical spa to have a designated 'medical director.' The operative constraint is that the practice of medicine must be performed by a licensed physician (or independent APRN/PA), and a physician who delegates medical tasks to nonphysicians must be qualified to delegate and must appropriately supervise those tasks or face discipline (W.S. 33-26-402(a)(xv)-(xvii)); the Board is directed to develop delegation standards (W.S. 33-26-202(b)(vi)).

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

Wyoming has not codified a corporate-practice-of-medicine prohibition, and no statute requires a medical practice or med spa to be physician-owned. However, only licensed individuals may practice medicine (W.S. 33-26-301(a)) and aiding or abetting unlicensed practice is both a crime (W.S. 33-26-410(a)) and a ground for physician discipline (W.S. 33-26-402(a)(ix)), so a lay-owned entity may not itself furnish medical services or direct clinical judgment.

Question 5

What supervision does Wyoming require for med-spa procedures?

Accepted Answer

APRNs practice fully independently — no supervisory or collaborative agreement is required by Wyoming law (WSBN; W.S. 33-21-120). Wyoming's 2021 Laws ch. 81 repealed the PA 'supervising physician' requirement: a PA now 'practices medicine' and 'may collaborate with or refer to' a healthcare team member, with the degree of collaboration 'determined at the practice level' (W.S. 33-26-502(b)). RNs, LPNs, and unlicensed assistive personnel act under delegation/orders, and a delegating physician must appropriately supervise delegated medical tasks and delegate only to qualified persons (W.S. 33-26-402(a)(xv)-(xvii)).

Question 6

What can an esthetician legally do in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Under the Board of Cosmetology rules (Ch. 1 §7(c), adopted 05/17/2021), esthetics is limited to superficial, non-invasive skin care: massaging/cleansing/exfoliating and applying preparations, superficial hair removal 'by means other than electrolysis and laser,' brow/lash services, and facial extractions. Procedures that pierce the epidermal or dermal layer are 'considered invasive and are prohibited' (§7(c)(v)), estheticians may not use the title 'Medical Esthetician' (§7(c)(vi)), and any act constituting the practice of medicine is prohibited unless separately licensed (§9(b)). Thus estheticians cannot inject, perform laser, or do dermal microneedling.

Question 7

Who can operate a cosmetic laser in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

The Board of Medicine rules define 'practicing medicine' to include operating, or delegating the responsibility to operate, an FDA Class II or Class III medical device (lasers, IPL, RF) 'unless operation or authorization for operation occurs in a site under the supervision of a person licensed under this chapter' (Board of Medicine Rules Ch.1 §3(n)(vii)). So cosmetic laser/energy-device treatment must be performed or supervised by a physician (or an APRN/PA who practices medicine) and may be delegated to trained personnel (e.g., an RN) only under that physician supervision. Estheticians are expressly barred from laser (Cosmetology Rules §7(c)(ii)).

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

Wyoming has no statute specific to IV vitamin/hydration therapy. Ordering IV therapy is the practice of medicine (diagnosis plus prescribing/administering prescription drugs, W.S. 33-26-102(a)(xi)(B),(E)), so it must be ordered by a physician, an independent APRN, or a PA. Administering the infusion is nursing practice: RNs and LPNs administer medications and treatments 'prescribed by any person authorized by state law to prescribe' (W.S. 33-21-120(a)(x),(xi)), and unlicensed staff may not independently start IVs.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

Wyoming has no medical-spa-specific facility registration or licensure and no 'medical spa' license category. A med spa operates under the general Medical Practice Act (individual physician/APRN/PA licensure and the license-required rule of W.S. 33-26-301(a)) and, for cosmetology-scope skin services, under the Board of Cosmetology's salon/establishment licensing (Title 33, ch. 12). No statute imposes a separate state med-spa permit.

Question 10

What are the penalties for practicing outside scope in Wyoming?

Accepted Answer

Practicing medicine — or aiding and abetting another to practice — without a license is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in county jail per offense, and the Board (or AG/county attorney/any citizen) may obtain an injunction (W.S. 33-26-410). Practicing as, or employing an unlicensed, physician assistant is likewise a misdemeanor up to $1,000 and/or one year (W.S. 33-26-511). Licensees who improperly delegate to or fail to supervise nonphysicians, or who aid unlicensed practice, are subject to license revocation, suspension, restriction, or conditions (W.S. 33-26-402(a)(ix),(xv)-(xvii)).

Wyoming Med Spa Regulations