If you have been working in aesthetics for a while, you have probably noticed two things happening at the same time.
On one side, client demand for serious skin rejuvenation has exploded. People come in asking for chemical peels, microneedling and mesotherapy by name. They want results that last, not just a glow that disappears in a few days. They bring research, screenshots, and quite specific expectations.
On the other side, you can feel the pressure building around standards, legislation, and regulation. There is more talk about who should be allowed to do what. Insurers and professional bodies are asking harder questions about training routes, qualifications, and competence. The days of “I watched a demo, and I am now offering this treatment” are numbered.
For too long, beauty professionals have sat right in the middle of that tension with very few reliable options. Fast track routes. Mixed quality providers. Qualifications that look impressive on the wall but do not hold up under scrutiny when something goes wrong.
VTCT Skills is about to change that. They have created a full aesthetics progression route designed specifically for non-medics, from Level 4 all the way through to the new Level 7 injectables qualifications. The VTCT Skills Level 5 Certificate in Non-surgical Aesthetic Procedures for Skin Rejuvenation is part of this newly launched advanced aesthetics framework.
That is the qualification we are preparing to bring to Ray Cochrane.
Rather than just telling you it is coming soon, let us break down what it actually is, who it is meant for, and how it fits into this new VTCT pathway.
Where does this new Level 5 sit in the VTCT aesthetics pathway?
VTCT have done something the industry has been crying out for. They have mapped a clear, regulated route for non medics who want to work in aesthetics in a serious, long term way.
The journey starts at Level 4, where you build advanced foundations in skin and aesthetic practice. It continues with Level 5, where you specialise in non-surgical aesthetic procedures for skin rejuvenation. It then progresses to the VTCT Skills Level 7 Certificate or Diploma in Non-surgical Aesthetic Injectable Procedures, where injectable treatments are finally brought in. Level 5 is not an optional extra in this model. It is the bridge.
At Level 4 you already understand skin and can deliver more advanced treatments than a standard facial. But you are still working within relatively controlled parameters.
At Level 5, particularly with this skin rejuvenation focus, you are expected to think and behave much more like an aesthetic practitioner. You are assessing risk, planning treatment journeys and understanding what your work is doing to the skin at a cellular level.
By the time you reach Level 7, you are ready to add injectables to that framework rather than trying to learn anatomy, pharmacology, complications and skin rejuvenation all at once.
Who is the VTCT Skills Level 5 Certificate for?
This new VTCT Skills Level 5 Certificate in Non surgical Aesthetic Procedures for Skin Rejuvenation is an advanced therapy qualification. It is aimed at Level 4 qualified practitioners aged 18 and over.
In other words, it is for people who already have a solid foundation in beauty therapy or related fields and are ready to specialise in non surgical skin rejuvenation rather than stay at generalist level.
You might be a Level 4 therapist who is the skin person in your salon or clinic, and you can feel that you have reached the limit of what your current qualification allows you to do safely.
You might be running a clinic where your clients are asking for more intensive peels, more advanced microneedling, or hair restoration support, and you want to meet that demand without stepping outside what future legislation is likely to accept.
Or you might be looking ahead to VTCT Skills Level 7 and injectable aesthetics, and you want to make sure that when you get there, your understanding of skin science, assessment and non surgical rejuvenation is already watertight.
This Level 5 certificate is designed exactly for that practitioner. You already know the basics. Now you want to operate at a standard that is aligned with professional and regulatory guidance.
What does this qualification actually cover?
VTCT has built this qualification with direct input from employers, providers and professional and regulatory bodies. The aim is very clear. To equip you with all the required elements to work effectively and safely as a non surgical aesthetic practitioner for skin rejuvenation.
You are not just learning treatments. You are meeting defined competencies and standards so you can show your commitment to public safety and to agreed standards of practice.
There are eight mandatory subjects in the VTCT Skills Level 5 Certificate in Non surgical Aesthetic Procedures for Skin Rejuvenation.
- Principles of non surgical aesthetic procedures
- Client assessment for non surgical aesthetic procedures
- Advanced skin science for non surgical aesthetic procedures
- Complication management and emergency plan implementation for non surgical aesthetic procedures
- Provide advanced chemical peels for skin rejuvenation
- Provide advanced skin needling procedures for skin rejuvenation
- Provide needle mesotherapy procedures for skin rejuvenation and hair restoration
- Provide light emitting diode LED phototherapy for skin rejuvenation
The first four subjects build your theoretical and clinical foundation. You learn the overall principles of non surgical aesthetic work, how to carry out structured assessments, how the skin behaves under advanced rejuvenation, and how to plan for complications and emergencies before they ever happen.
The final four are where you move into treatment delivery. Here is where it becomes especially important to understand the level you are working at. Advanced chemical peels, advanced skin needling and needle mesotherapy are all recognised as Level 6 units in terms of complexity and risk. In this Level 5 certificate, they are taught within a structured framework that demands deeper knowledge, safe protocols and clinical thinking, rather than being treated as simple add on treatments.
LED phototherapy then supports and enhances your results. You learn how to use it to calm, repair and stimulate the skin as part of a complete skin rejuvenation strategy, not just as a relaxing light mask at the end of a facial.
That combination of eight subjects gives you a rounded profile. You are not a technician repeating protocols. You are a practitioner who understands why, when and how to use each procedure and how to keep your client safe throughout.
How is this different from short courses in advanced treatments?
If you have been in the industry for any length of time, you will have seen a flood of fast track routes and unregulated providers promising to teach everything from peels to injectables in a weekend. Even among regulated options, there have been “advanced aesthetics” style courses on the market for a while, often with mixed depth, unclear progression and limited recognition beyond certain circles.
On paper, you come away with a certificate. In reality, you are often left with gaps in your knowledge, no clear sense of your legal and ethical responsibilities and very little support if a client ever has a complication.
We are never the first to launch a new qualification for the sake of being first. Our director’s priority has always been to thoroughly evaluate any course before we bring it into the academy. If a qualification does not meet our standards for rigour, safety and long term credibility, we simply do not run it. That is part of our commitment to quality and to protecting both our learners and their future clients.
VTCT is widely recognised as the leading awarding body in beauty and aesthetics, and VTCT Skills has taken a very different approach with this new advanced aesthetics suite. The Level 5 skin rejuvenation certificate has been built to withstand scrutiny. The content is aligned with professional and regulatory guidance. The learning outcomes are clearly defined. The progression route towards the new Level 7 injectable qualifications is mapped from the start and designed specifically for non medics.
You are not just learning how to hold a microneedling device. You are learning why you select certain depths, why you would choose a mesotherapy approach over a peel, when you need to say no to a client and how to justify those choices in a way that satisfies both insurers and, if it ever came to it, regulators.
In simple terms, we chose to introduce this course now because VTCT has finally created an advanced aesthetics qualification that matches the standards we insist on. This is a programme designed for the future of aesthetics, not the past.
What can this Level 5 lead to?
The primary purpose of the VTCT Skills Level 5 Certificate in Non surgical Aesthetic Procedures for Skin Rejuvenation is to prepare you for employment in the advanced non surgical aesthetic industry, specifically in skin rejuvenation.
With it, you can build or grow a business that focuses on high level, non injectable skin work. You can apply for roles in advanced skin clinics, medi spas and practices that value formal aesthetics qualifications. You can also continue to build your expertise with supplementary specialist qualifications in the higher level beauty suite if you choose.
Most importantly, this Level 5 sits exactly where you would expect in the new VTCT aesthetics progression.
The pathway begins at Level 4. It advances through this Level 5 non surgical skin rejuvenation certificate. It then culminates at Level 7 with the VTCT Skills Level 7 Certificate or Diploma in Non surgical Aesthetic Injectable Procedures.
That means you are not collecting random courses. You are following a structured progression route that builds the knowledge and practical skills you need at each stage of aesthetic treatment, from non surgical skin rejuvenation to injectables.
Our next step at Ray Cochrane
At Ray Cochrane, we have always believed that beauty and aesthetics education should match the reality of what is happening in clinics, treatment rooms and, increasingly, in regulation.
Bringing in the VTCT Skills Level 5 Certificate in Non surgical Aesthetic Procedures for Skin Rejuvenation is our way of aligning with this new, clearer VTCT pathway and giving our Level 4 students and experienced therapists a credible, future proof next step.
We will be launching this course soon, with our usual small group teaching, strong mentoring and emphasis on real world confidence, not just passing assessments.
If you would like to see the official course information, including entry requirements, fees and how the teaching will be structured, you can find that on our dedicated course page for the VTCT Level 5 Certificate in Non surgical Aesthetic Procedures for Skin Rejuvenation. Click here for more information.
