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The Simple Way to Dramatically Improve your Laser Safety

Isn’t Laser Safety pretty simple?

When it comes to Laser Safety, there are a large number of various rules, regulations and standards that apply. These cover requirements of Laser and IPL equipment, the environment in which they are to be used, and the protective eyewear that needs to worn – just to name a few.
So it should come as no surprise that it requires a high level of expertise to take all the relevant information into consideration when assessing a clinic’s Laser safety. This is why anyone operating an aesthetic Laser or IPL device must employ the services of a certified Laser Protection Advisor (LPA).
Laser Safety

What is a Laser Protection Advisor?

A Laser Protection Advisor (LPA) is essentially a consultant in Laser safety, who will often specialise in a particular field of Laser use, such as aesthetic and medical Lasers. It’s the job of the LPA to come into clinics and provide expert advice to help clinic owners ensure they are complying with legislation, and properly protecting their clients, their staff, and themselves.
Only individuals who are certified by a professional LPA organisation that is recognised by the MHRA may act as a Laser Protection Advisor.

Do I need a Laser Protection Advisor?

Yes, having an LPA is required by all the national healthcare bodies (CQC, HIS, HIW, RQIA), most local authorities, and insurance providers.
Unfortunately, many Laser companies don’t mention the requirement for an LPA at the point of sale. This is to avoid mentioning the extra cost involved of hiring an LPA, which can be anywhere from £500 to £1,000.
Don’t worry though! At Skyncare we provide FREE LPA support with all our Laser and IPL devices. Our in-house LPA works with our clients ensure their room is Laser-Safe and ready ahead of their new device arriving.

Do I REALLY need a Laser Protection Advisor?

Yes, let’s look at an example of how the expertise of an LPA would be invaluable at your clinic. You purchase a brand new laser device, which comes with all the standard accessories, including your Laser glasses. These are supposed to protect your eyes from the potentially harmful intense light emitted by your new Laser. Needless to say that having the right level of protection is extremely important. But how would you know the glasses you have been provided are suitable for use with your particular Laser?
Firstly, your eyewear would need to display the correct markings to indicate the level of protection offered, in line with the relevant standard. Without the correct markings, these glasses cannot be approved as safe for use.
If your glasses pass the first test and display the correct marking format, you still need to make sure that the level of protection indicated is suitable for the level of protection required for your Laser. This process requires an understanding of wavelength bands, pulse durations, conversion of energy units, as well as access to the standard that is used to calculate these pieces of information into a definitive measurement of protection level.
This isn’t to say that nobody else can do these calculations and reach the correct conclusion, but a certified LPA will have expertise in this matter along with the many other aspects of Laser safety that a clinic must adhere to.
laser protection advisor - LPA

Where can I find a Laser Protection Advisor?

If you already have a Laser or IPL device, you can click the link below to schedule a call with the Skyncare LPA, who works with clinics across the UK to ensure they are Laser safe.
If you don’t yet have a Laser or IPL device, having LPA support included with your product package is definitely a big bonus worth taking into consideration when deciding which Laser (and supplier) is right for you.

Free Checklist

Many of the key requirements for proper Laser safety are taken care of when your equipment is supplied by a reputable company that adheres to industry regulations. However, expert guidance is not always included, so our LPA has created a FREE checklist for you to initially assess how safe your Laser clinic is.

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