Background: The rapid proliferation of medical spas (med spas) in the United States has raised concerns over the continued shift of nonsurgical aesthetic treatments away from traditional core specialty integration and supervision, potentially affecting surgical treatment guidance and education of cosmetic surgery patients. The authors assessed trends in the growth of independent med spa facilities as well as practitioner supervision, licensing, and specialization in the state of Florida.
Methods: The authors performed a comprehensive, statewide survey of all independent med spas in Florida by municipality using online business search engines. Information gathered included the number of locations, business stakeholders, and director or practitioner licensing and certification obtained from the Florida Division of Corporations or Department of Health databases and respective medical boards.
Results: A total of 1038 med spas were identified, revealing a 100% increase in number relative to 2021 estimates. Nonphysician practitioners represented 84% of med spa providers, with core specialty medical director supervision present in only 22% of facilities and a large proportion of directors lacking specialty training (77%) or board certification (42%). In addition, 25% of med spas appeared to disregard state guidelines pertaining to medical directorship, autonomous nonphysician practice, and numeric or geographic restrictions on directorship, with 96% of facilities lacking licensing or registration with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration.
Conclusions: Med spa growth in Florida has been explosive, with continued departure from core supervision, increasingly limited specialty training and integration, and nonadherence to state guidelines. Enhanced regulation and integrated nonphysician practitioner training are likely necessary to ensure patient safety and the cohesive practice of aesthetic medicine and surgery.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000011511 | DOI Listing |
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