The BBC have recently been discussing the deregulation of lasers and light, a welcome development for The Mapperley Park Clinic.

We have been lobbying for the re-regulation of lasers and light since the Government deregulated back in 2009. We know what we are talking about, having trained over 7,000 doctors, nurses and therapists in the use of lasers in the last 10 years and unfortunately, since deregulation, the numbers of people undertaking training is in very sharp decline – we deliver training to less than 20% of the numbers trained under regulation so, fewer and fewer people entering this market have had any training.

The potential for skin damage from lasers in the wrong hands is huge, and people who aren’t aware of the dangers are increasingly seeking cheaper and cheaper treatment through online deal sites such as Groupon, from treatment providers increasingly buying cheap equipment on-line and delivered without any meaningful training; you wouldn’t get in a taxi with someone without a driving licence, why would you seek a cosmetic treatment from someone not registered to carry out that treatment?

This is worrying for a number of reasons, not least because a clinic which is not registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has no governing body in place to ensure that they are adhering to standards of quality of care, and you have no complaint structure to work with. So, if something does go wrong, they may not have the necessary experience to put it right, and you will not have a mechanism to hold them to account – except by taking them to court.

Not only this, but the cheapest treatment available, will not be the best. This means that many people are wasting money on ineffective treatments, often carried out with substandard equipment purchased online for as little as one fiftieth the price of what a quality laser should cost – £1000 compared to £50,000 – the figures speak for themselves.

So the message is clear: do your homework. If you’re considering letting someone fire a piece of potentially dangerous equipment at your skin, make sure they know what they are doing and not just ‘having a go’.  How long have they been using the equipment and what specific training have they had?  It is not worth saving a few pounds on a treatment that at best, will not work and at worst will cause you permanent harm.

If in doubt, come to the experts.  We have been using lasers for 20 years and training others to use them for 10.  We may charge a little bit more than untrained competition, but what price would you really put on your safety and security?