Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1531085
Protect your practice with the gold standard in liability coverage at ascpskincare.com 19 ASCP ADVOCACY WHAT A WHIRLWIND OF A YEAR 2024 was for esthetics policy! The skin care industry saw plenty of successes and surprises. As ASCP's new director of government relations, allow me to run through the highlights of 2024 . . . and our predictions for 2025. Let's review a few bills that were signed into law in 2024, keeping in mind we may see similar legislation pop up in more states in 2025: • Georgia House Bill (HB) 502 increased esthetician scope by adding more devices to the definition of cosmetic laser services. The bill also removed some supervision requirements for estheticians. • In Illinois, HB 5135 added training requirements for identifying abnormal skin growths, and HB 4570 created a licensing crossover process for instructors to receive credit toward learning how to teach a new profession. • Michigan raised esthetician education hours from 400 to 750 with Senate Bill (SB) 702. This is something we've seen happening across industries for the past year. • In Kentucky, SB 14 added an esthetician and a nail tech to the cosmetology board. • Maryland's HB 1302 expanded esthetician scope to include eyelash extensions and superficial exfoliation and added esthetician representation to the cosmetology board. 2025 LEGISLATIVE PREDICTIONS We're sensing a theme here with scope expansion and board representation, and we expect to see those trends continue throughout 2025, along with bolstered education hours. Following are our top predictions for the year. Esthetics Policy Predictions for 2025 by Laura Puryear Industry Growth As the industry grows, state code will have to grow with it. Expect to see the scope of practice expand for estheticians to include new types of, and uses for, lasers, needles, scalpels, and more. It's safe to assume the use of sharp instruments will remain restricted to superficial purposes only affecting the outermost layer of skin. Changes to Licensure On the regulatory side, we anticipate a few states will attempt to make some changes to licensing structure. We are seeing this happen in Utah, as the state's legislature explores a more deregulated approach to esthetics licensure. As always, ASCP will do everything we can to protect the responsible regulation of the esthetics industry. Education Hour Requirements As educational institutions across the country wait to see what will happen with the US Department of Education's change to the 150% Rule and the legal challenges raised against it, states are preparing to adapt. We saw several states raise their minimum education hours across numerous industries in 2024 in response GETTY IMAGES