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The CANS exam has 150 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free CANS questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A 68-year-old reports "heavy upper eyelids" two weeks after forehead neurotoxin treatment. Compared with pretreatment photographs, both eyebrows sit lower. With the brows gently supported at their original height, the upper-lid margins match baseline. Pupils, eye movements, and vision are unchanged. Which muscle effect best accounts for the complaint?
Correct answer: B - Frontalis weakness reducing support for the eyebrows
During hyaluronic acid injection into a nasolabial fold, a patient develops severe focal pain, blanching followed by mottled violaceous discoloration, and capillary refill of 6 seconds. Vision is unchanged. Aspiration before the injection showed no blood. The injector stops; hyaluronidase and a clinician trained in vascular-occlusion rescue are immediately available. Which response takes priority?
Correct answer: A - Begin hyaluronidase rescue treatment with repeated assessment of tissue perfusion.
The signed order is for 20 Units of onabotulinumtoxinA for glabellar lines. Two unopened vials are available: onabotulinumtoxinA 100 Units and abobotulinumtoxinA 300 Units. Each would be reconstituted to a final volume of 2.5 mL. Which syringe should be prepared to fulfill this order?
Correct answer: D - 0.50 mL from the onabotulinumtoxinA vial
Five days after her first Sculptra treatment, a patient says, "The fullness looked better the first evening and now it is almost gone." There is no tenderness, erythema, palpable nodule, or skin discoloration. She requests another session today. Which explanation should guide counseling?
Correct answer: B - Early fluid fullness can fade before collagen stimulation produces visible improvement.
An otherwise suitable adult is scheduled for liquid Asclera treatment of uncomplicated lower-leg veins measuring 2.4 mm. The proposed order specifies 0.5% polidocanol, 0.2 mL per injection, a total session volume of 6 mL, and 15-20 minutes of walking after compression is applied. Which part needs correction to match the labeled regimen?
Correct answer: A - Use polidocanol 1% for these reticular veins.
At baseline and at a 14-day glabellar neurotoxin review, the same clinician grades lines at maximum frown using 0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, and 3 = severe. The grade falls from 3 to 1, but a fine crease remains visible at rest. Which interpretation is justified?
Correct answer: C - A two-grade dynamic improvement can coexist with static lines.
For lower-leg hair reduction, a patient reports that her skin rarely burns and tans deeply. Examination shows deeply pigmented skin with coarse black terminal hairs and no recent tan. Assuming appropriate device settings and cooling, which choice offers the most favorable epidermal safety margin?
Correct answer: D - A long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser, reducing competing epidermal melanin absorption
A practice offers fractional CO2 and fractional Er:YAG resurfacing. A patient prioritizes precise ablation with less residual thermal coagulation. Under comparable ablative treatment conditions, which statement correctly distinguishes these systems?
Correct answer: C - Er:YAG at 2940 nm generally leaves less residual thermal coagulation than CO2.
Despite correctly using an untinted broad-spectrum SPF 50 sunscreen, a patient with melasma develops recurrent dark patches after sunny weekends. Her topical regimen is well tolerated, and examination shows no erythema or scaling. Which change most directly addresses an additional light-related driver of her pigmentation?
Correct answer: C - Use a tinted sunscreen containing iron oxides for visible-light protection.
Facial papules and pustules have been treated as acne, but the patient also describes flushing after hot drinks and burning with exfoliants. The cheeks and nose show persistent erythema and telangiectasias. Comedones are absent. What diagnosis best unifies these findings?
Correct answer: B - Papulopustular rosacea
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