Laser hair removal: Is the training required?

Is laser hair removal safe

It is ironic to issue licenses for the equipment but not for the practitioners; however, this is what is being done in many countries. The equipment needs licensing but the practitioners are often untrained. Both in sprit of the law and for the correct usage and precaution, laser hair removal practitioners need training and qualification.

With such a wide usage of the methodology due to the pain free and long lasting effects, laser hair removal has become one of the preferred procedure for many. On the contrary, the methodology has scientific limitations based on simple physics. The laser uses the difference in hair colour and the skin so that only the hair absorbs the heat and get removed without burning the skin. Due to this, the practitioner needs to know the difference. A trained practitioner would rightly know the skin tones on which the technique works best and who not to recommend. The use of correct wave length, skin and hair type in combination with simultaneous cooling of the skin minimizes the adverse effects of laser hair removal.

In the United Kingdom, the laser machine is treated as a prescription device and can only be operated by licensed operators, failure of which is a criminal offense. This ensures that the state has control over who can use the device to make sure the procedures are rightly carried out.