CSLB General Building (B) — All Questions

Which of the following is outside the scope of practice of a California licensed esthetician?

• a.Operating a laser to remove hair or pigment✓
• b.Applying a superficial exfoliating product to the epidermis
• c.Removing hair with wax or tweezers
• d.Applying makeup and performing a lash tint

Lasers and other light-based devices that alter living tissue are considered medical procedures and may not be operated under an esthetician license. Superficial exfoliation of the epidermis, temporary hair removal by waxing or tweezing, and makeup and lash services are all core esthetic services. The dividing line is whether the procedure affects living tissue below the surface.CA Business & Professions Code

A client asks her esthetician to administer a neuromodulator injection because 'a nurse taught you how.' What is the correct response?

• a.Perform it, since the esthetician has been trained
• b.Perform it if a nurse is present in the building
• c.Perform it and describe it as a spa service on the receipt
• d.Decline, explain that administering injections is the practice of medicine and outside esthetic scope, and refer the client to a licensed medical professional✓

Injecting any substance into the skin is a medical act, and training, proximity of a licensed professional, or creative wording on a receipt does not extend the legal scope of an esthetician license. Performing it exposes the licensee to discipline and the client to serious harm. The correct action is to decline and refer to a licensed medical professional.CA Business & Professions Code

What are a California esthetician's basic obligations regarding her license?

• a.It may be kept at home as long as a photocopy is in the salon files
• b.It must be renewed on the Board's schedule with the required fee, and the current license must be displayed at the licensee's work station or in the establishment where clients can see it✓
• c.It never expires once it has been issued
• d.It may be transferred to another licensee if the original holder stops working

California licenses are issued for a fixed term and must be renewed with the required fee before expiration, and the current license must be posted where the public can view it. A license never expires only if it is renewed. It is personal to the individual and cannot be lent, transferred, or represented by a photocopy filed away out of public view.CA Business & Professions Code

A Board inspector arrives at a skin care establishment during business hours without an appointment. What is the correct response?

• a.Refuse entry until the owner returns and schedules an appointment
• b.Ask the inspector to wait outside until all clients have left
• c.Permit the inspection, cooperate, and provide access to the premises, licenses, and equipment✓
• d.Ask the inspector for a warrant before allowing entry

Inspections of licensed establishments are unannounced by design, and licensees must permit entry and cooperate during business hours; obstructing an inspector is itself a violation. Demanding an appointment, delaying entry, or requiring a warrant for a routine regulatory inspection of a licensed business are all improper responses that can result in citation.CA Business & Professions Code

Which requirement applies to a licensed skin care establishment in California?

• a.It must hold a current establishment license and provide hot and cold running water and clean restroom facilities, and may not be used as living quarters with a direct opening into the service area✓
• b.Services may be performed in any private residence without a separate establishment license
• c.Running water is required only if chemical peels are performed
• d.An establishment license may be shared among several unrelated business locations

An establishment must be separately licensed, maintain hot and cold running water and sanitary restroom facilities, and be physically separated from living quarters. A residence used to provide services must meet the same establishment requirements. Water is fundamental to sanitation for every service, not just peels, and an establishment license applies to one specific location.CA Business & Professions Code

An esthetician realizes her license expired two months ago but she has continued taking clients. What is her situation?

• a.She is fine, because the Board allows a one-year grace period during which practice may continue
• b.She is fine as long as she pays the renewal fee before the end of the year
• c.She may continue practicing while the renewal application is in the mail
• d.She has been practicing without a valid license, must stop immediately, and must complete renewal before providing any further services✓

Practicing after a license expires is unlicensed activity regardless of intent, and it exposes the licensee to citation, fines, and discipline. There is a period during which an expired license can be renewed, but that is a renewal window, not permission to keep working. Services must stop until the license is restored to active status.CA Business & Professions Code

Which record-keeping and posting practice supports compliance in a skin care establishment?

• a.Discarding all product labels to keep the dispensary tidy
• b.Keeping the Board's health and safety rules in the owner's home for safekeeping
• c.Keeping current licenses posted, product and disinfectant manufacturer directions and Safety Data Sheets available on the premises, and maintaining client consultation and service records✓
• d.Recording only the services that generated the largest revenue

Posted licenses, on-site manufacturer directions and Safety Data Sheets, and client consultation and service records let an inspector verify compliance and let the licensee demonstrate that products were used as labeled. Discarding labels destroys the use directions and hazard information required to use a product legally, and off-site or selective records are of no use during an inspection.CCR Title 16

A salon owner asks an unlicensed receptionist to perform a quick brow wax because the esthetician is running late. What is the correct response?

• a.It is acceptable because brow waxing is a minor service
• b.It is unlawful, since only a person holding the appropriate current license may perform services for compensation, and both the individual and the establishment can be cited✓
• c.It is acceptable if the licensed esthetician watches from across the room
• d.It is acceptable if the client is told in advance and does not object

Performing licensed services without a license is unlawful, and the establishment and owner who permit it are also subject to citation and discipline. The simplicity of the service, casual observation by a licensee, and client consent do not create an exemption. Only students and apprentices in an approved program may practice, and only within that program's supervision requirements.CA Business & Professions Code

A client calls the day after a wax reporting a blistered, painful patch where the wax was applied. What should the esthetician do?

• a.Advise the client to seek medical care, document the incident and the products and temperatures used, and cooperate fully if the client files a complaint with the Board✓
• b.Tell the client it is a normal reaction and offer a free service
• c.Delete the client's service record to avoid liability
• d.Diagnose it as a burn and prescribe a topical antibiotic

A suspected thermal or chemical injury is referred for medical care, thoroughly documented, and handled honestly, since clients may file a complaint with the Board and accurate records protect everyone involved. Dismissing the injury delays treatment, altering or destroying records is misconduct, and diagnosing and prescribing are outside an esthetician's scope.CA Business & Professions Code

Which summary best describes the boundary of esthetic practice in California?

• a.Estheticians may perform any procedure taught in a manufacturer's certification course
• b.Estheticians may perform medical procedures if a physician is on the premises
• c.Estheticians may perform any service a client requests and consents to in writing
• d.Estheticians work on the surface of the skin using cosmetic preparations and approved devices, and may not diagnose or treat disease, penetrate the skin, inject, use lasers, or perform medium or deep peels✓

Esthetic practice is limited to beautifying and caring for the surface of intact skin with cosmetic products and approved equipment, and it excludes diagnosing or treating disease, penetrating living tissue, injecting, operating lasers, and performing peels that reach the dermis. Private certification courses, a physician's presence, and written client consent cannot expand what a license legally authorizes.CA Business & Professions Code