APIL joins the opposition to cosmetic laser treatment deregulation

20/06/2008

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has joined a number of surgeons and doctors in opposing the Department of Health’s proposed deregulation of lasers for cosmetic use.

Since the Department of Health proposed the deregulation of lasers for cosmetic use in a consultation in March surgeons and doctors have been speaking out against the move explaining the potential dangers.

APIL has now joined the opposition to deregulation on behalf of lawyers who deal with those burned and scarred when treatments go wrong. Laser treatments are very popular and are used for hair removal, scar and belmish removal and other treatments.

The Department of Health proposed that would Healthcare Commission regulation of beauty salons providing cosmetic laser treatments should be removed. This would put the responsibility on the customer to find out the skills and qualifications of the treatment provider.

The Department of Health have explained the deregulation stating that the risk of damage “is not proportionate to the risk of harm to patients”. But surgeons and doctors are concerned about cowboy cosmetic treatment providers emerging.

Denise Kitchener, Chief Executive of APIL said:

“Laser treatment can be a dangerous procedure and if it is carried out by someone unqualified and inexperienced, the results can be devastating,” she said. “We see first hand the kind of injuries caused when the treatment goes wrong – not only can the actual process be excruciatingly painful if it’s not administered correctly, it can cause terrible burns and scarring.

“At the moment people can go to clinics or salons registered with the Healthcare Commission but if the Government deregulates, then there is no way for people to distinguish previously regulated companies from rogue operators.”

Denise Kitchener said there are currently around 3,000 unlicensed, unregulated providers of laser treatment in the UK.

“It is absolutely unconscionable that the Government recognises more than 3,000 additional people could be injured as a result of deregulation, yet it still wants to go ahead,” she said.

APIL made this statement on the same day that Claims Management Issue 13 was released including a detailed look at cosmetic treatment deregulation. For information about how to become a Claims Management subscriber go to: http://www.claimsmagazine.co.uk.

Original Article: Legal and Medical