Who Can Inject Botox in West Virginia? Boards and Rules

We reviewed the public pages of the West Virginia Board of Medicine, the Board of Osteopathic Medicine, the Board of Registered Nurses, the Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses and the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists, along with the state code sections they rely on for physicians, nurses and estheticians.

We found no position statement, rule or FAQ from any of them that addresses cosmetic botulinum toxin injections or medical spas by name. Our searches of the board pages we could reach for those terms surfaced no dedicated page; some board search tools sit behind a reCAPTCHA, so this is a finding about the pages reviewed. That silence is not a permission and it is not a prohibition. The general definitions in the sections below are what the boards do publish, and a board is the right place to ask about a specific arrangement.

One nearby document exists. On July 28, 2026, the Board of Medicine, the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and the Board of Pharmacy issued a joint advisory opinion on retail IV therapy, which states that IV therapy is the practice of medicine. It concerns IV therapy, not cosmetic injections, and we do not apply it to Botox.

Other states publish different material, so do not carry a rule over from them. Our state-by-state overview and Kentucky guide show how another state's sources read. Everything in this guide comes from West Virginia sources, not from neighboring Virginia.

West Virginia splits health licensing across several boards, so the right lookup depends on the professional's license type. The table gives each board's role as its own pages describe it.

The Medical Practice Act, as published by the Board of Medicine, defines the practice of medicine and surgery as the diagnosis or treatment of, or operation or prescription for, any human disease, pain, injury, deformity or other physical or mental condition. It adds that surgery includes the use on humans of lasers, ionizing radiation, pulsed light and radiofrequency devices. The same definition says it does not apply to a duly licensed health care provider acting within the scope of their license. The page we captured shows no revision date.

Section 30-3-13 of the Act makes it unlawful for a person who lacks an active, unexpired license, and who is not within a listed exception, to practice medicine and surgery or podiatry in this state. Among the Act's grounds for discipline is delegating professional responsibilities to a person the physician knows or has reason to know is not qualified by training, experience or licensure to perform them.

For physician assistants, the Board of Medicine's physician assistant article says a physician assistant may not practice independent of a collaborating physician and practices under a practice notification filed with, and activated by, the appropriate board. It also says the collaborating physician does not have to be constantly present if the two can be easily in contact by telecommunication. Ask a clinic who the collaborating physician is and how that person is reached.

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine's complaint page refers to W. Va. Code 30-14 and the board's rules for osteopathic physicians and physician assistants. We did not capture that practice act, so this guide does not describe its text.

The registered nurse practice act defines registered professional nursing to include the administration of medications and treatments as prescribed by a licensed physician, a licensed dentist or a licensed advanced practice registered nurse. The practical nurse act defines practical nursing as selected nursing acts in the care of the ill, injured or infirm under the direction of a registered professional nurse, physician or dentist. Neither definition mentions cosmetic procedures.

The two nursing boards jointly publish a scope and delegation booklet, revised March 23, 2023, which the RN board lists on its Laws, Rules and Scope of Practice page. The booklet says its guidelines do not have the force and effect of law except as provided through the legislative rules, and that the answer to most delegation questions is that it depends. We found no cosmetic injection guidance in it.

The booklet does address medical assistants. It says they are unlicensed, have no defined scope of practice, and may not be delegated activities by a nurse that require professional licensure. If a clinic describes its injector as a medical assistant or a technician, ask for the person's license type and the board that issued it.

For APRNs, the RN board says those practicing under prescriptive authority must maintain a collaborative agreement with a collaborating physician, unless the board has approved removal of that requirement. Ask an APRN-led practice whether the clinician's prescriptive authority and any agreement are current.

West Virginia Code section 30-27-3 defines aesthetics as certain acts done on the human body for compensation and not for the treatment of disease. The first listed act is administering cosmetic treatments to enhance or improve the appearance of the skin, including cleansing, toning, stimulating and exfoliating. The statute also says an esthetician is a person licensed under that article who has completed 600 clock hours of training.

The definition we captured does not mention injections or lasers, and we found no board statement that settles whether an esthetician may perform either. Treat that as an open question to put to the clinic and the licensing board, not as an answer in either direction. Our general guide to esthetician scope limits explains how to think about the question.

Start with the full name and license type the clinic gives you, then use the board that issued that license. A physician search will not show a nurse or an esthetician. For the general method, see our license verification guide.

Board of Medicine: its search covers allopathic physicians, podiatric physicians and physician assistants collaborating with them. Choose a search type, enter search information, select from the results and view details. The page asks you to pass a reCAPTCHA check first. It also notes that any result showing education as reported by the licensee is not primary source verified.

Board of Osteopathic Medicine: the Board of Medicine sends osteopathic physicians and their collaborating physician assistants to the osteopathic board's site. Choose a license type, enter search information, select from the results and view details. The page says discipline history is available online from 1991 forward and public disciplinary documents from 2010 forward.

Nurses: the Board of Registered Nurses site has a Verify a License link for RNs and APRNs, and the LPN board site has a Check Licensure Status link for practical nurses. Estheticians: the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists offers a Verify A License search of its records by last name or license number.

Match the result to the person assigned to your appointment, and keep a note of what you checked. Our consultation checklist lists the questions to ask about who evaluates, orders and performs your treatment.

File with the board that licenses the person your concern is about. Our complaint guide covers the general steps and what to record first.

Board of Medicine: it says it may only investigate matters about a specific, individual MD, DPM or physician assistant, and it is not permitted by law to investigate clinics, health centers or hospitals. It has no jurisdiction over business disputes or general billing disputes, and it does not prosecute crimes or litigate malpractice disputes. Patients complete a Complaint Questionnaire Form, which the board will mail on request. Complaints about a licensee's professional conduct are confidential during an investigation.

Board of Osteopathic Medicine: any person may make a complaint charging an osteopathic physician or osteopathic physician assistant with a violation of the board's statute or rules. A patient who is the subject of the complaint downloads a records release form, which must be notarized.

Nursing boards: the Board of Registered Nurses says it receives, investigates and acts on concerns about RNs, APRNs and dialysis technicians, that anyone may submit a complaint, and that complaints must be submitted electronically through its portal. Written complaints may also be sent to its South Charleston office. The LPN board site has a File a Complaint link and refers readers to its guidelines for reporting practice violations.

Barbers and Cosmetologists: its complaint form asks for the name and address of the individual or business complained about and a detailed description, and it says complaints may be made anonymous.