| DereGuLaTion | opinion
greatest number of problems associated with cosmetic laser treatment has originated from use of the equipment by staff not fully familiar with which type to use and at what power setting. This has often been a function of high staff turnover. it is felt that further deregulation would
benefit only unscrupulous clinics up and down the high street. Clinic owners believe that the deregulation might encourage more low-end operators who currently cannot afford the regulatory costs of setting up in the uK. There are also worries that the market is at risk of being flooded by cheap imports of lasers that might be sold at less than 5% of the cost of lasers on the market today. reputable operators and businesses
would suffer. But the public would also be among the losers, says Dr Gault. “The government needs to look more at safety.” although the die has been cast, BaaPS
and other groups can still keep up the pressure, he suggests.
Rise in negligence cases and adverse incidents The deregulation may well increase the scope for medical negligence cases. The
onus will now be on the patient to ascertain the clinician’s level of qualification and ability to do the job. This is beginning to cause great concern
among both medical negligence lawyers and professional surgeons. There are already rising numbers of
patients who have suffered injury at the hands of untrained cosmetic laser treatment practitioners, leading to scarring, burning, blisters and discoloration of the skin. Some of the injuries are permanent, and the psychological damage done can be even greater than the actual injury in many cases. The uK association of
Personal injury Lawyers (aPiL) believes that deregulation leaves no way for people to distinguish previously-regulated companies from rogue operators. removing the need to register
immediately legitimises all those operators who sought to remain unregulated in the first place, regardless of whether they are qualified to carry out laser procedures.
There are an estimated 3,400 known
adverse incidents arising from laser use in the uK every year, and the amended legislation could increase that by 1,700- 3,400, according to the DH’s own estimate, made when HCSa 2008 was being put out for consultation. Dr Gault finds this shocking, and is
it is felt that further
deregulation would benefit only
unscrupulous clinics up and down the high street.
astonished that the government should even admit it. aPiL, which has maintained a
strong line in the two years since the consultation was launched, agrees. its chief executive Denise Kitchener takes the view that it is “absolutely unconscionable” that, while recognising that some 3,000 additional people could be injured as a result of deregulation,
the government was willing to go ahead with the legislation.
Laser hair treatment Skin laser treatment is a fast-expanding sector of the cosmetic surgery industry, and demand for specialist hair removal treatments is greater than ever. in england alone, 340,000 procedures are performed annually.
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