About 40 college-age women waited their turn at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing one day last month to be human subjects in training nurses on how to give aesthetic injectables.
The volunteers received supervised treatment for free, an attractive deal considering the cost of botulinum toxin injections — better known under brand names like Botox — averages around $435, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Caroline Roseman, a 2024 graduate of the UNC School of Nursing, was one of those receiving the training from Boston-based LexRx. She hopes to turn her knowledge into a side gig to her regular job as a UNC Health hospital nurse.
“This is my hobby,” says Roseman, “but it’s so popular now. It’s something else I can add as a skill.” She says she could see herself working in a clinic offering cosmetic procedures or owning her own business someday.
“The modern nurse embraces the entrepreneurial side of their career path,” says LexRx founder and CEO Alexa Costa.
LexRx teamed up with UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Nursing to offer the training. Students pay $2,975 for the one-day live training, which comes after two, three-hour lectures via Zoom. The students also earn certifications through the university.
LexRx’s inaugural academic partnership began in 2023 with Boston College and later Columbia University in New York. The December session in Chapel Hill was the first in North Carolina. It only attracted three students, but Costa says she expects future sessions held every three months to grow to about 30 students. The next session at UNC Chapel Hill is March 6.
Registered nurses can give aesthetic injections under the prescription and order of a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. LPNs can do so, but must have on-site supervision from at least a registered nurse.
While a lot of people think Botox is for older adults facing treatment for facial wrinkles or creases, the number of younger patients seeking preventative care is growing fast, says Costa. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Botox injections increased by 71% for ages 20 through 29 and by 75% for patients 19 and younger between 2019 to 2022. It has become known as “baby Botox.”
Roseman says young people pay attention to influencers on social media. “They say, ‘This is how you’re supposed to look,'” says Roseman, “and other people follow it.”
Costa says she hopes her program helps train and gives them a way to make extra money.
“The industry is booming, but the training standards haven’t kept up,” says Costa.