Looking for advice on Skintechniques botox course!

Hi everyone!
I was wondering if there is anyone on here who could give me some feedback on skintechniques botox course. It's the only course I can find which allows level 3 beauty therapists train to perform botox and dermal fillers. I have heard alot of things that only medical professions are able to perform botox, however skintechniques claim their course allows beauty therapists to perform it too. The course includes a 1 to 1 intensive day of learning everything about the botox.... If anyone has had any experience with this company I would love to hear from you as the course isn't cheap and I am not one to waste money!

Hi Sophiestherapy, if you would like more info on this subject please tap in Botox on the search box at the top of the page. There is an awful lot of information that you may find interesting and informative.
HTH
Fiona

I think you have to ask yourself would you like someone to administer these treatments with only 1 day's training? At present there is not a suitable acredited course that allows and monitors potential candidates from our sector. I think I read on another post they are even wondering if only Doctors should do this now but I may be wrong.

Sorry but I totally agree with essentia, a one day course is no where near enough time to perform this kind of treatment well, I think us beauty professionals should stick to what we know best, if a nurse or doctor up the road from you decided to do lashes, waxing or massage after doing a one day course you wouldnt be to happy about it, and quite rightly.
There are reasons that only a doctor or nurse can perform botox...I doubt very much that you would even get insurance.
Spend your money on something else hon.
xxxxx

I agree with what you all are saying thats why I was surprised when I came across the site. If you get a minute have a look at these websites and tell me what you think... Beauty therapy training course, learn to inject dermal filler (thats the site that offers the botox course) and Welcome To Cathedral Associates (thats the insurance company that have said I would be able to be insured once I have finished the course). Any feedback would much be appreciated! x

I think if you read their (awful) website carefully, the course that is available to Level 3 therapists is for the dermal fillers. They make a careful point to emphasis the fillers on the first page (there is nothing about Botox).

They mention the other courses - but do not state clearly who is qualified to do what.....

BTW: Have you been qualified long yourself? Do you already work with needles? Is this really an area that YOU would feel comfortable working in? Can you locate and name (without hesitation or repetition) at least 10 muscles of the face?

Not being a party pooper but....

Hi little voyce, I have contacted the company and they have told me I am able to do the botox course... On the website there is a link that says courses and it states...
Course 3
Level 1 - Botox training, forehead
Level 2 - Advanced Botox

I have been told that as long as you have a level three diploma or level three NVQ in beauty therapy, then you are able to do the level 1 courses (progressing to the higher levels) and be insured. I agree the website isn't very clear though, hence why I have contacted them a few times already! I have experience with electrolysis and I have been a beauty therapist for two years now, I also work as a HCA in plastic surgery theatres and will mention this company to them tomorrow and see what they think...

I would really appreciate any feedback from those who have had actual experience with this company!

Jesus Christ this is prescription only medicine you will be injecting into people. You cold not legally manage complications - and they can and do happen, trust me, I have been medically qualified for nearly 25 years. Why in gods name would you even consider undertaking these medical procedures. It's absolutely nuts!

That is true and I have asked this question, apparently they have a doctor that works with the company... Again I understand that, I am not being stupid and ready to splash out on a lot of money on something I am not completly clued up on, hence why I am asking ALOT of advice! Daisyl have you looked at the website, if what the company has told me is the truth then why wouldn't I be able to handle complications? Again if what they have told me is true I would be fully qualified and insured to perform the treatment, a doctor would be providing me with the prescriptions and obviously a consent form and a consultation explaining the risks of the treatment.... I am too looking to do nursing next year as I am really enjoying my job at the hospital, I am merely just asking advice from those who have similar experiences...

Sophie, you could not administer medications should the need arise in the event of complications. The risks are actually increased with dermal fillers - vascular occlusion etc. You would not be qualified to manage this, you would have to have a medical qualification. I am aware of this company and the few others, as is the wider aesthetic medicine community, these training providers are highly unscrupulous including the prescribers. there is nothing positive about any of them. In the event of a real emergency you would find yourself in very hot water. there is a reason the manufacturers of dermal filler product categorically print in their product literature - to be administered by medically qualified professionals only! they do not state this for the fun of it. This alone would invalidate any insurance claim and could leave you open to prosecution - I don't care what they tell you - this is fact.

What protection would members of the public have - there is absolutely no accountability. Think about it, how would you feel as a client in the event of an adverse reaction - there is no government register, no legal standards - noone to report any rogue practitioner to. At least with medically qualified professionals are accountable to their legal governing body and must be registered in order to practice. there is accountability. I accept there are good and bad in all professions (demonstrated by the very people prepared to prescribe for you). Never would I ever consider prescribing for any individual without a medical qualification as a bare minimum.

these companies really are a disgrace. Don't just take my word for it visit the MHRA website, BACN, BACD,BAAPS to name a few others.

To add - I wish you lots of luck with your nursing.

Hi geeks,

I have done the Botox and Filler course at the college mentioned.
Basically they only train therapists with a high knowledge of anatomy and physiology.
Beauty therapists train extremely hard, especially to gain qualifications such as the ones that I have, CIDESCO, ITEC, SHAASP, CIBTAC and I have also done a nutrition diploma. If trained to a high level, the knowledge gained with respect to the anatomy of the body, especially the face, it is the equivalent to that of a nurse. Guinot, for example uses very complex products and of course has the galvanic machine AKA - The Hydradermie Facial. Why on earth would they let therapists use this machine if they were not trained in anatomy and physiology and how to treat galvanic burns etc etc. They wouldn't.

My feelings are they nobody can slate a profession as a whole or say that doctors are the only ones that can preform botox because I know for a fact that some doctors who I have had experience with no bugger all! He actually dismissed a malignant melanoma until I insisted that my friend see a specialist.

So my point being is that this whole persona on beauty therapist being "dumb and blonde" as it were must stop because some are highly intelligent and as far as I'm concerned I will go to someone for treatments such as botox who I know can do it well and has great knowledge of the product. Yes, of courses there are people out there who don't know but then slate them as an individual.

If you have the grounding, just as I did to then go into the profession of becoming a Botox technician then a 1 day course is good enough. You should already know the face (bones, muscles, nerves etc) - you are learning what Botox is, how to administer it and the admin that goes with it. You have everything tought to you (what could go wrong, what to do etc as well) - if you cannot be adult enough to listen, take it all in and then do your own revision once the course is done then well, you don't deserve to be doing Botox at all. It is a life skill and a professional career that we ultimately choose, so I should hope that a school leaver who has done a combined hair and beauty course who is not sure what he/she wants to do then goes into Botox, it just isn't done.

The course is expensive! Not to be taken lightly! So if beauty therapists want to further their knowledge in the cosmetic industry then let us. It doesn't matter what letters you have after your name, it doesn't make you know any more than someone else who has the same.
If you go to someone who hasn't got the right training etc then by all means say something or do something - THEY are giving us (beauty therapists or nurses or doctors) a bad name. But you cannot say that beauty therapists can't do Botox unless you can prove otherwise. It's like me saying that my brother cannot fix my car even though he is a basic mechanic because he doesn't work for Audi when he is the BEST I know and I trust him. It's all speculation and scrutiny of therapists because there is money to be made if the profession is done properly.

I know I am going on but this site is a forum and we are here to help one another regardless of our profession, so please stop putting therapists down when it comes to Botox. I (as an individual) want to make it more of a treatment to my clients and if they want the topical anaesthetic which takes up to 30minutes to work then that is what I will do to make the experience better for them. Knowledge is power and if someone is succeeding in what they do then congratulate then because they are obviously doing something right.

PS- And paying £100p/m insurance is not a light decision either

If you ask most of beauty therapysts about facial muscles only a few will name them... Guinot also do not care about...

How would you get supply of a pscription only medication. Botulinium Toxin and Dermal Filler administration should be left to doctors and nurses, beauty therapists are good in their specific area, they are not qualified or skilled enough to inject these products and manage complications properly. Also, who will insure your practice?

Stick to what you know and keave the medical stuff to the medically trained professionals, a knowledge of a&p doesn't even go halfway to what you would need to know to do this treatment (my opinion obviously)

If you are asking how we get prescriptions, then you are not aware of the ins and outs of Botox and Fillers. If you ask who would insure us, then you do not know about the insurance that does and what it covers.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, fair is fair but when I am pushing my knowledge, living for work, achieving great results and doing what I set my heart out to do, then I do not like to be put down because of by beauty therapy diploma.
There are many people that have extraordinary talent and intelligence, why shoot them down because of what "you" think they should or should not do?

Have you had experience with a beauty therapist who went on to study Botox? If so I would like to hear about it, just for interest sake? Nobody is perfect in this world and maybe I am just talking for myself here but I know that I am good at what I do and study doesn't end when you walk out of a class room. The best professionals keep learning, keep searching and keep bettering themselves. I just hope more beauty therapists are like myself and actually prove that. Everyone has their own thoughts though, otherwise the world would be a very boring place....

AmyJG said:

If you are asking how we get prescriptions, then you are not aware of the ins and outs of Botox and Fillers. If you ask who would insure us, then you do not know about the insurance that does and what it covers.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, fair is fair but when I am pushing my knowledge, living for work, achieving great results and doing what I set my heart out to do, then I do not like to be put down because of by beauty therapy diploma.
There are many people that have extraordinary talent and intelligence, why shoot them down because of what "you" think they should or should not do?

Have you had experience with a beauty therapist who went on to study Botox? If so I would like to hear about it, just for interest sake? Nobody is perfect in this world and maybe I am just talking for myself here but I know that I am good at what I do and study doesn't end when you walk out of a class room. The best professionals keep learning, keep searching and keep bettering themselves. I just hope more beauty therapists are like myself and actually prove that. Everyone has their own thoughts though, otherwise the world would be a very boring place....

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Hi Amy

I read your posts with great interest and have to say they have really struck a chord with me. I am a mature therapist (47), who has botox and is really fascintated with the whole facial esthetics business.

I would LOVE to be able to administer these treatments as I have seen what incredible results can be achieved. I am nearing the end of my Level 3 beauty therapy course, already having achieved Level 2 beauty and Level 3 Swediesh Massage and without wishing to sound big-headed, my knowledge of muscles, bones, body sytems and Anatomy & Physiology is second to none. I found learning all about the human body the best part of all my courses and coupled with my knowledge about skin and skin care, would feel extremely confident to administer these sorts of treatments.

I also bitterly resent the "dumb blonde" label that seems to come with being a beauty therapist (sadly, I am blonde!) as I am educated to a very high standard, have shed loads of work and life experience behind me and feel very confident about my treatments. I already offers peels,
non-surgical face-lifting and microdermabrasion and firmly believe that a sound knowledge of the human body and it's workings, a meticulous approach to treatments and a bucket load of common sense would suffice when it comes to botox, dermal fillers and the like.

Like you, I have had some pretty unimpressive experiences with the medical profession on occasion and sometimes wonder if some doctors actually know what they are talking about!

Believe me, if the chance EVER arises for a "humble" beaty therapist to be able to train in facial esthetics, I will be at the front of the queue!

PB
x

AmyJG said:

If you are asking how we get prescriptions, then you are not aware of the ins and outs of Botox and Fillers. If you ask who would insure us, then you do not know about the insurance that does and what it covers.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, fair is fair but when I am pushing my knowledge, living for work, achieving great results and doing what I set my heart out to do, then I do not like to be put down because of by beauty therapy diploma.
There are many people that have extraordinary talent and intelligence, why shoot them down because of what "you" think they should or should not do?

Have you had experience with a beauty therapist who went on to study Botox? If so I would like to hear about it, just for interest sake? Nobody is perfect in this world and maybe I am just talking for myself here but I know that I am good at what I do and study doesn't end when you walk out of a class room. The best professionals keep learning, keep searching and keep bettering themselves. I just hope more beauty therapists are like myself and actually prove that. Everyone has their own thoughts though, otherwise the world would be a very boring place....

Click to expand...

Amyjg, here is what I see as the main problem with beauty therapists training to inject botox and fillers...you are clearly very dedicated and take what you do very seriously, I dont think anyone here is saying that beauty therapists are dumb blondes or not capable, but you only have to look at some of the pictures that have been posted on here of treatments that have gone wrong....eyelash extensions, peels, spray tans...all performed by poorly trained therapists who just want to make a fast buck, is it ok for these people to pay their money and train to administer botox etc?? Imagine the potential damage they could inflict, then imagine how that would impact on youas a serious competent therapist. Unfortunately not everyone has your attitude, and that is the scary thing. I think far better to offer therapists a longer course, maybe over a year and make it on par with a nurses training, that way only the most serious members of our community would do it. I really take my hat off to you for what you are doing.... there is no way I could do it, I just know that not every therapist is as knowledgable as you obviously are and that what worries me about these one day courses.
good luck tinax

MisstyB said:

Amyjg, here is what I see as the main problem with beauty therapists training to inject botox and fillers...you are clearly very dedicated and take what you do very seriously, I dont think anyone here is saying that beauty therapists are dumb blondes or not capable, but you only have to look at some of the pictures that have been posted on here of treatments that have gone wrong....eyelash extensions, peels, spray tans...all performed by poorly trained therapists who just want to make a fast buck, is it ok for these people to pay their money and train to administer botox etc?? Imagine the potential damage they could inflict, then imagine how that would impact on youas a serious competent therapist. Unfortunately not everyone has your attitude, and that is the scary thing. I think far better to offer therapists a longer course, maybe over a year and make it on par with a nurses training, that way only the most serious members of our community would do it. I really take my hat off to you for what you are doing.... there is no way I could do it, I just know that not every therapist is as knowledgable as you obviously are and that what worries me about these one day courses.
good luck tinax

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Sorry to butt in on your post to Amy here but I would just like to point out that along with badly trained therapists doing awful treatments, there are badly trained estheticians out there who do equally awful treatments! We've all read about droopy eyelids and trout pouts and some of these treatments have been carried out by actual medical professionals!

If you are trained how to do something correctly and are meticulous about doing it correctly and trained on what to do when things go wrong then I can't see a problem.

Obviously, esthetics training should not be available to just anyone with beauty therapy qualifications and all potential trainees should have to undergo full interview, take A&P exams to prove their knowledge of the human body and have first class references from college tutors and/or employers. The lowest exam mark I have ever scored for a beauty therapy/massage exam is 98%...some of the girls in my group were scoring 60% or less and have had to retake.

I am also competent in electrolysis.......needles, a very steady hand and an ability to "hit the mark" accurately! A most useful skill for anybody considering doing injectables for a living!

I also agree that a day or so training is wholly inadequate and that I personally would want the opportunity to work on plenty of cases studies before working on paying clients.

At the end of the day, there will always be good therapists and bad therapists....mature, confident and experienced therapists and immature, unconfident and incompetent therapists.

I just don't see why some of us who have the ability to go so much further are prevented or at least discouraged from doing so because we are "only" beauty therapists.:irked:

I'll get off my soap box now

PB
x

Hey Tina, hey PB x

Thank you both for the comments. I don't know of another therapist doing Botox and fillers so can't really comment for them, I just know what I can do.
As far as the things that go wrong, I totally agree. I think that there are therapists out there that are not doing a good job, even as a standard therapist but I don't think they would be the kind of people perhaps that would want to even attempt Botox?? I may be wrong...?

As far as I know there are only 3 training facilities that a therapist can go to to get a Botox/Fillers etc qualification and the facility mentioned before was the closest to me. It was a one to one training programme with many clients so I felt that I had add adequate training. I followed that up with training on family and friends, did even more research and only when I was completely comfortable did I then offer my services. Everyone will be different.

I do have a friend who does permanent makeup though. She is very well trained and does medical makeup (IE: nipple tattoo etc) but she really wants to do Botox but cannot as she does not have the therapist background knowledge. She has to do that before she can administer Botox and to me she would be the best because of what she is currently doing, so it's those types of "therapists" that I am defending.

I don't want any airy fairy therapist doing Botox at all, if they even have the confidence to do so. I think therapists that have the know how and the guts to do Botox and do it well should be praised, that's all. That is the image I want to create about "us" anyway.

Longer training wouldn't hurt, I can accept that. I just want to prove that we can be just as good as nurses and Doctors.
A xo

This is something I would love to train in, I think they need to develop a degree in which someone who hasn't got any medical qualifications can take a degree in esthetics and can be as fully qualified as a doctor.

I looked into it but I really don't want to do nursing as I couldn't deal with people's sick etc, and doctors degree is forever!! Surely 2-3 years studying in something from scratch you will probably be better qualified than a doctor, we don't need to learn why someone has a sore throat etc......

I am a qualified aesthetic nurse practitioner and run my own aesthetic/non-surgical clinic, the current guidance states that only a trained cosmetic surgeon, doctor, dentist, paramedic or nurse is legally allowed to inject Botox. There are loopholes in the law that mean a beauty therapist could inject you ‘under the guidance’ of a medical professional, so in practice, doctors can get the Botox and pass it on to a salon, or spa. Check the credentials of anyone you’re allowing to get close to your face with a syringe full of toxin.
Don’t have Botox too often Certainly no more than once every three months.