Frequently Asked Questions

In order to be eligible to take one of our courses, you must have an active medical license. Eligible titles include doctor, registered nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, dentist, and dental hygienist. Some of our online courses allow LPN or LVNs as well. Check each individual course for eligibility requirements and contact us with further questions about eligibility.

Our advanced courses are primarily based on your education and experience.

Advanced Facial Aesthetics Courses:

If you are a practitioner who has performed Botox or dermal fillers and is comfortable, then there is no need for you to take a prerequisite before taking any of our advanced courses.

If you are just starting out in the field of aesthetics or you need a refresher, then we recommend taking the Facial Aesthetics 101 Series as a prerequisite. This course is a self-paced online program that delves into the world of aesthetics and is the perfect course for practitioners looking to acquire the proper knowledge and skills to inject. Once you’ve taken these, feel free to move on to our certification courses or advanced courses.

Advanced Body Aesthetics Courses:

There is typically a prerequisite of Liposuction 201 to take our hands-on Liposuction 301 with real patients. If you have previous liposuction or body aesthetics experience or education, we may not require a prerequisite course. Contact us if you have questions about your eligibility.

If you are on the fence about which courses to take, feel free to contact us for guidance or become a member and reach out through the Aesthetic Network to get insight from other practitioners who have taken our courses.

If you are a dentist or a dental hygienist, you are able to take any of AAAMS’ facial aesthetics courses. To become certified to perform Botox, dermal fillers, or other procedures, state laws come into play. Learn more about qualifications for hygienists by state.

To become an aesthetic nurse, the very first step would be to earn your nursing degree. Once you are licensed, whether as an RN or NP, you are qualified to become certified to perform botulinum toxins and dermal fillers. The AAAMS offers two hands-on training programs to earn your certification.

Option 1: Hybrid Aesthetics 101

Hands-on training is held at our facility in Beverly Hills, California.

Option 2: Virtual Aesthetics 101

Hands-on training can be held from the comfort of your own home or office.

To become certified as an Aesthetic NP to administer Botulinum Toxins, dermal fillers and chemical peels, you must take one of our two hands-on training options:

• Hybrid Aesthetics 101: includes live, in-person hands-on training at our facility in Los Angeles, California.
• Virtual Aesthetics 101: held live via Zoom in the comfort of your own home or office.

As an ADN, you may take our courses and become certified. However, in order to administer Botox and fillers, you will need to obtain your RN or NP license.

If you are an LVN or LPN you can take any of our beginner-level online courses, including:

• Introduction to Aesthetics 101
• Botulinum Toxins 101
• Dermal Fillers 101
• Introduction to the Business of Aesthetics
• Facial Aesthetics 101 Series (includes all above courses at a discounted rate)

Please note that these courses do not certify you to perform injections on live patients.

If you are a beginner in the field of aesthetic medicine, we recommend you start with Introduction to Aesthetics 101. As the name suggests, it is an introduction to the field of aesthetic medicine. If the introductory course interests you, then take Botulinum Toxins 101. To learn even more, take Dermal Fillers 101. You can also bundle these 3 courses together to save money through the Facial Aesthetics 101 Series Program.

Absolutely! Since 2006, we have had a very unique and successful way of setting up our courses so that members feel extremely comfortable and confident performing injectables after taking our courses. We offer a great deal of knowledge, personal experience, and one-on-one discussions for our attendees to have the proper knowledge, skills, and certifications in order to inject.

The journey to becoming an aesthetic practitioner starts with the American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery!

If you are interested in learning about Botulinum Toxins and dermal fillers (without becoming certified), then Facial Aesthetics 101 Series is the perfect course for you. This is a self-paced online program that delves into the world of aesthetics and gives practitioners the proper knowledge and skills to inject.

However, if you are looking to become certified to administer Botox and dermal fillers, we offer two options: Hybrid Aesthetics 101, held at our facility, and Virtual Aesthetics 101, held via Zoom from your own home or office. Both of these options also include the Facial Aesthetics 101 Series.

You do not have to be an AAAMS member to take our courses, because all of our courses come with a Basic AAAMS Membership that is valid for one year. However, if you are an Associate or Fellow member, then you are eligible for discounts on most of our courses. For more information on the Aesthetics Network and to join, contact us!

If you are a current member of the American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery network and you want discounts on courses, simply email us the courses you plan to take and we’ll provide you with a discount code based on your membership tier. The higher the membership tier, the higher the discounts!

As a member of The American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery, you are eligible for discounts on certain courses including our certification courses,Hybrid Aesthetics 101 and Virtual Aesthetics 101.

Percentage breakdowns:

• Basic Members: 5% off
• Associate Members: 10% off
• Fellow members: 15% off

If you’re unable to attend the hands-on training for the dates you have registered for, then we can transfer you to a different date as long as we are given 4 weeks notice.

We currently do not offer any student loans or scholarships. However, we can work with you to break out the payments for higher-priced courses in order to make courses more financially attainable.

If you are certified to perform botulinum toxins and dermal fillers as an RN, your state or country regulations then determine whether you need supervision of a physician. Our recommendation is to check with the medical and nursing board of your state or country on the rules and regulations pertaining to RNs performing injectables.

As an RN, once you are certified to perform injectables by taking Hybrid Aesthetics 101 or Virtual Aesthetics 101, you will still need to be supervised by a Physician. RNs cannot work independently. You may be able to administer independently (depending on your state) if you become an NP or PA.

If you are looking to become certified to perform botulinum toxins and dermal fillers, we offer two hands-on training options. Both are comprised of two days, where day one is a virtual didactic session, and day two is hands-on training.

The first option is Hybrid Aesthetics 101, for which hands-on training is held at our facility in Beverly Hills, California.

The second option is Virtual Aesthetics 101, for which hands-on training is held from the comfort of your own home or office.

Either option rewards you with the same certification to perform facial aesthetic procedures!

Once you complete one of our online courses, it takes about 72 hours for you to receive your certificate of completion.

If you practice in the United States, then you must submit a valid US license in order to be able to take one of our courses.

If you are based and practice outside of the United States, you can still take our courses, as the AAAMS is recognized both nationally and internationally with divisions in Asia and Mexico. Over the years, our attendees included professionals from Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Once you become certified to perform botulinum toxins and dermal fillers, you may practice in the state that you are licensed in. For example, if you are a Registered Nurse licensed in California, then you can perform injectables in California.

We offer several in-person and live hands-on training options:

• Advanced Liposuction 301 includes live, hands-on training with a real patient in our Beverly Hills facility.
• Hybrid Aesthetics 101 includes live, hands-on training with real patients at our facility in Beverly Hills.
• Virtual Aesthetics 101 includes live, hands-on training via Zoom in the comfort of your home or office.

Within 24 hours of registering for an AAAMS course, you will receive an email that includes your login credentials and access to the courses that you have booked.

We currently do not offer any laser certification or training. In today’s market, many companies are coming out with different types of lasers and each machine has its own settings. The companies that provide you with the lasers should be able to provide you with the training as well.

As an ADN, you may take our courses and become certified. However, in order to administer Botox and fillers, you will need to obtain your RN or NP license.

If you plan to open a med spa, we recommend that you first become certified to administer Botulinum Toxins, dermal fillers and perform chemical peels. This will provide you with the fundamental skills and credentials needed for a med spa.

To get your certification, you can take one of two hands-on training programs we offer:

• Hybrid Aesthetics 101 includes live, hands-on training at our facility in Los Angeles California.
• Virtual Aesthetics 101 is held via Zoom from the comfort of your home or office.

Both have a prerequisite of the Facial Aesthetics 101 Series, a 5-course introductory program that includes Introduction to the Business of Aesthetics, designed specifically for practitioners like you who wish to open their own aesthetics practice. This course will teach you how to use your future certification in opening a med spa.

How to open an aesthetics practice:

1. Take one of our certification courses: Hybrid Aesthetics 101, Virtual Aesthetics 101, and Liposuction 301.
2. Ensure that your certification and membership is up to date.
3. Log in to your member portal to access your courses. Within the courses is a supply list that for all the suppliers you need and all other information you need to start your own practice!
4. If you have questions or need support, reach out through the AAAMS practitoner network for tips and connections. You may also schedule a one-on-one with our president Dr. Assassa who has run a successful aesthetics practice for several decades.

If you sign up for one of our hands-on training programs, we provide all the necessary materials.

If you register for Hybrid Aesthetics 101, which includes live hands-on training at our facility, we will provide the materials and models.

If you take Virtual Aesthetics 101, we will provide the materials. However, you must secure your own model patient to practice on.

We take pride in our highly-rated training programs, and one of the reasons for our high satisfaction rate is the amount of one-on-one time each patient gets with instructors. We limit all live and hands-on programs to small groups to give you the ample one-on-one time required for you to feel comfortable in your training. Below are the attendance limits for applicable courses:

• Hybrid Aesthetics 101 (held at our facility in Los Angeles): max class size of 9
• Virtual Aesthetics 101 (held online and live via Zoom): max class size of 4
• Advanced Liposuction 301 (held at our facility in Los Angeles): max class size of 3

Most of our courses are online, self-paced courses. However, we offer two hands-on training programs for those wanting certification to perform botulinum toxins and dermal fillers. Option 1: Hybrid Aesthetics 101, for which hands-on training is held at our facility in Beverly Hills, California. Option 2: Virtual Aesthetics 101, for which hands-on training is held from the comfort of your own home or office.

Our courses Hybrid Aesthetics 101 and Advanced Liposuction 301, which include live hands-on training, are held at our facility in Los Angeles (Beverly Hills), California. 640 South San Vicente Blvd, Suite 410.

Once you are registered for a course, you will have uninterrupted access to the course for the entirety of your membership, which is valid for one year from the date that you registered. Even if you complete the course, you will still have access to it as long as you are a member. When your membership is set to expire, you can renew your membership to keep access to any courses you’ve already taken or registered to take.