Why Your Injector's Credentials Matter More Than Their Instagram

In Texas, aesthetic injectables must be administered by or under the direct supervision of a licensed medical professional — an RN, NP, PA, or physician. The license type matters because different licenses carry different scopes of practice, different training requirements, and different levels of medical decision-making authority. An aesthetician can do many things, but they are not licensed to inject neurotoxins or dermal fillers. Knowing who holds the license at a practice and what that license covers is a basic safety check.

Beyond the base license, look for specific aesthetic injectable training. General nursing or medical training doesn't cover facial anatomy for aesthetic purposes in depth. The providers who do this work well have pursued additional education — cadaver training, anatomy-specific injectable courses, mentorship under experienced injectors, and continued education as techniques evolve. Ask about this. A good provider will tell you specifically what training they've done.

Before-and-after photos on social media are curated. They show the best outcomes, taken in optimal lighting, often with filters or editing, and sometimes at the specific window when swelling has resolved but results are at their peak. They don't show complications, corrections, or the average result. They also can't tell you whether the provider understands contraindications, manages complications appropriately, or would know what to do if something went wrong.

Follower count correlates with marketing skill, not clinical skill. Some excellent injectors have minimal social media presence. Some highly-followed injectors have built their following on personality and aesthetics rather than clinical excellence. The correlation between the two is weak enough that social media shouldn't be your primary filter when choosing someone to inject your face.

Look up the provider's license through your state medical board. In Texas, you can verify nursing and advanced practice licenses through the Texas Board of Nursing and physician licenses through the Texas Medical Board. Verify that the medspa has a supervising physician of record and that the business is operating under appropriate medical oversight. These are public records and the search takes five minutes.

Then ask about training specifically related to aesthetic injectables — not just years of experience, but what education and mentorship shaped their technique. Ask what they do when something goes wrong: do they have hyaluronidase on hand for filler reversal? Do they have a protocol for vascular complications? These questions separate providers who've done the work from those who haven't. A good injector will answer them confidently.