The British Department of Health's proposal to deregulate laser and intense pulsed light (IPL) devices for aesthetic treatments has come under fire, according to a report this week from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

David Gault, a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, a consultant plastic surgeon, and an internationally known laser expert, spoke out against the plan.

"Just because a laser is used for cosmetic purposes, it does not mean that it is any less dangerous," he says. "There have been an increasing number of cases where their incorrect use has resulted in patients ending up 'spotted' like a leopard, with either circular patches of brown or black pigmentation or white patches of depigmentation."

If administered by untrained hands, these treatments can result in skin blisters, burns, sores, and pigment scarring. Clinical expertise is required to analyze and choose the best treatment for different colors of hair in depilation.

Misdiagnosis of a precancerous pigmented lesion as "cosmetic" can mean that the early signs are missed and the opportunity to cure could be lost.

"I would be very concerned about untrained attempts to treat port wine stains and pigment spots and any treatment at all on children," Gault says.

Many patients are treated inappropriately with either the wrong laser, or with the right laser but the wrong settings. General practitioners, who are often not consulted when a patient chooses to have laser treatments, are later forced to get involved when complications result from an inexperienced practitioner.

"It seems entirely inappropriate that the government should seek to deregulate this type of treatment when within the last year I have seen more cases of complications following laser and IPL treatments than ever before, and if any changes in regulation should be proposed at all, they should be to control their use more stringently—not less," Gault states.

To read more about the announced deregulation, follow this link.

Source: the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons