What a GFE legally is in Missouri
A Good Faith Exam is a medical evaluation by a licensed physician or, in Missouri, a Nurse Practitioner with prescribing authority. It establishes the practitioner-patient relationship that legally permits prescribing the medication (yes, Botox is medication). Aesthetic injectables can't be administered without it. Not by a nurse. Not by an aesthetician. Not by anyone.
Missouri requires this exam to be renewed annually for each aesthetic patient.
What happens during the exam
At Infinite Glow, the GFE is a 10-15 minute telemedicine visit with the Nurse Practitioner I collaborate with. We discuss your medical history, your current medications, what you're hoping the treatment will achieve, and any contraindications. The NP either clears you for treatment or flags a concern that needs follow-up before any treatment happens.
Most clients are cleared in one visit. Occasionally we need additional information (a recent provider note, for example), and we'll tell you exactly what's needed.
Why it exists
Aesthetic injectable practice has historically been an under-regulated space within nursing. The GFE requirement exists because patients have been harmed when corners were cut — by injectors without medical oversight, by clinics treating people with contraindications they didn't know to ask about, by practices using product they shouldn't have been administering.
The GFE is the medical gate that keeps the practice on the right side of medicine, not cosmetics-as-retail.
When I renew it
Every aesthetic client gets a GFE on the first visit. Each client renews it annually — typically scheduled around the anniversary of their first visit so it doesn't get lost.
What it costs
The GFE fee is included in your visit cost. It is not separately billed at Infinite Glow.