Q & A
Do I have to be an aesthetician or have any medical background to work in the laser industry?
With very few exceptions (California, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, and Florida), most states do not require any professional medical training or even an aesthetician’s license to perform cosmetic laser procedures.
Although laser certification is a natural and profitable complement to an aesthetician’s training repertoire, anyone can become a certified laser technician. In American Laser & Aesthetics Institute, students come from all walks of life with many different levels of experience.
I’m considering laser training but I’m also interested in becoming an aesthetician. Which training should I do first?
The most economical choice is to do your laser training first. Many people like the idea of being able to provide facials, peels, microdermabrasion, and laser services for their clients. However, aesthetician training generally requires 720 hours of class time (about four months full-time, or eight months part-time) while laser training takes only 2 weeks.
Once you receive your laser certification, you will be fully prepared to enter the medical aesthetics workplace. This will allow you to earn income (even if only part-time) while you attend aesthetician school. We are happy to assist you in any way possible with locating an aesthetician school that is right for you.
If you chose to pursue your aesthetician’s license before laser certification, you would not be able to work part-time doing aesthetics or laser while in aesthetics school. For these reasons, most individuals choose to take laser courses first. In some instances, students have found they enjoy doing laser so much that they opt not to pursue an aesthetics’s license. The choice is all yours!