Can a Nurse Perform Thermage?

Thermage like other energy-based treatments is a prescriptive device meaning that a physician has to be responsible. It is routine to delegate it to a nurse or other medical professional but the laws vary from state to state as to whether this is allowed and what type of supervision is required. It is not allowable for a nurse to practice independently and it should be clear who the supervising MD is and what his or her qualifications are. The machine is not automatically set and has to be adjusted to each individual.

Important considerations when choosing a clinic where to have your Thermage® procedure carried out should be 1) is this a medical clinic where procedures are supervised by a physician who has a thorough understanding of the capabilities and limitations of this skin tightening procedure, 2) is the technician well-trained, experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to the recommended protocols. The procedure is not carried out in a mechanical, switch-on, switch-off way. The outcome is technique-sensitive.   Yes, a nurse could carry out the procedure very well, provided that credentials of the clinic and the staff member performing the procedure have been verified.

Whether the provider is a Plastic Surgeon, Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, or a Registered Nurse as long as they are properly trained and have a substantial amount of experience with the procedure they are all good choices. The amount of education in a university does not necessarily make a person a better provider in treating a patient with Thermage.  In my office, I have my Physician Assistants treat our patients with the Thermage machine. 

I do recommend the new Thermage CPT procedure instead of the older version, NXT. 

Hope this helps. 

 

Dr. Grant Stevens