Cosmetic laser treatment and the scope for medical negligence

Cosmetic laser treatment is offered by certain beauty salons and clinics in the UK to people who wish to undergo permanent removal of hair or unsightly veins. It is currently a regulated clinical industry, but proposals from the Department of Health in 2008 to deregulate cosmetic laser treatment clinicians may well have the effect of increasing the scope for incidents of medical negligence.

Without regulation, the onus would be on the patient to ascertain a clinician's level of qualification, something that is causing great concern among both medical negligence lawyers and professional surgeons.

David Gault, a surgeon and member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, comments, "If any change in regulation is to be made, it should be to control use of lasers more stringently."

This assertion is supported by the surgeon's personal experience of having seen a rise in the number of patients visiting him who have suffered injury at the hands of unskilled cosmetic laser treatment practitioners.

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has expressed concern at the government proposals too. With a spokesperson commenting, "Laser treatment can be a dangerous procedure and if it is carried out by someone unqualified and inexperienced, the results can be devastating.

"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."

"Deregulating the industry would automatically make all of these legitimate, regardless of whether they are qualified to carry out the procedure," she said.

"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."

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The decision to go ahead with any cosmetic enhancement process is always a very serious one. The last thing any person making this choice wishes or deserves to experience is substandard care or negligence that puts their health and appearance in jeopardy.

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