We are seeing a growing number of chapters host events at which aesthetic services like Botox and other injectables, lip flips, microneedling, dermaplaning, waxing, lash and brow services, spray tans, and similar treatments, are offered to members and sometimes their guests. Our position is that aesthetic services events can be permissible when the right safeguards are in place, but that medical and injectable procedures should be approached with significant caution and, where possible, avoided in a chapter setting altogether.

Medical and injectable procedures include Botox, dermal fillers, lip flips and lip injections, IV vitamin therapy/IV parties, piercings, tattoos, microneedling, and similar services. These are regulated medical procedures in nearly every state, with strict licensing and supervision requirements. In those cases, every recommendation in this paper should be met without exception.

Lower-risk cosmetic services include spray tans, waxing, lash and brow services, blowouts, makeup application, and manicures or pedicures. While the risk profile is lower, these services still typically require state licensure, still carry the potential for injury or reaction, and still warrant the precautions outlined below.

Anyone hired to perform an aesthetic service at a chapter event must meet the licensing requirements of the state in which the service will be performed. This is not optional and it is not satisfied by a verbal assurance. Before any contract is signed, the chapter must request and retain a copy of the provider’s current license, as well as the credentials of any supervising physician or medical director where state law requires one. The chapter must also obtain a copy of the provider’s certificate of insurance, which should show at least $1,000,000 of medical malpractice and general liability coverages.

Licensing requirements vary considerably by state. In some jurisdictions, only a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant may administer Botox or fillers; in others, registered nurses may do so under physician supervision. Estheticians and cosmetologists are also licensed at the state level for the lower-risk services described above. A provider operating in one state is not necessarily credentialed in another, and if a provider cannot or will not produce a current license, the chapter should not move forward in any contract for services with that provider.

Every individual who participates in an aesthetic service at a chapter event should sign a liability waiver before the service is performed. This includes members, new members, alumnae, mothers, and any other guests, regardless of age or relationship to the chapter. While these kinds of events should be limited only to members whenever possible, for events like moms weekends, guests can be accommodated. The waiver provided by the service provider is in addition to, not in place of, any waiver required by your inter/national organization. A link to a sample waiver can be found here.

Members must never be required, expected, or socially pressured to receive a cosmetic service, and this is especially true where group discounts or pricing tiers are involved. If a provider offers a reduced rate when a certain number of members commit, individuals can feel obligated to participate so their sisters can access the discount. Chapters should structure these events so that no member is pressured to participate for the purpose of accessing a discount.

Whenever possible, aesthetic services should be performed at the provider’s licensed clinic or place of business rather than at the chapter facility. Holding the event at the provider’s location keeps the service within an environment already designed, equipped, insured, and inspected for that purpose. If these types of events must be hosted at the chapter house, they should be planned in close consultation with your organization to ensure that all risks have been managed accordingly.

If the event must take place at the chapter house or another non-clinical location, chapters should confirm that state law permits the service to be performed off-site at all. Many states restrict the administration of injectables and certain medical-grade procedures to licensed facilities.

Risk management is not only about insurance and liability. It is also about how an event reflects on the chapter, the inter/national organization, and the broader sorority experience. An event built around cosmetic procedures can send messages the chapter did not intend like that certain appearances are expected or that members should alter how they look in order to fully participate. These concerns are heightened when the event involves new members. We encourage chapters to ask whether the same bonding goals could be achieved through programming that does not carry the same reputational weight.

Should you have questions about a specific event you are considering, please contact MJ before signing a contract or committing to a date.