CONTRAINDICATIONS TO THE USE OF LASERS AND IPL

It is essential that you tell us before you agree to treatment if you suffer from any of the following medical conditions, or if you are taking any of the following treatments, either medical or herbal/Chinese. Failure to do so could result in you being burnt by the laser, as many of the medicines listed here will make your skin much more sensitive to light, and hence burn more easily.

• Tans, either from sunbathing, using tanning salons, or fake tans
• Pregnancy or nursing mothers
• Permanent or semi-permanent make-up
• The use of certain herbal medicines (especially St. John’s wort)
• Anticoagulants such as warfarin. Care needs to be taken with aspirin.
• Any bleeding disorder such as haemophilia
• Any anticancer drug
• Current or history of skin cancer
• Active herpes (cold sore), systemic lupus erethematosus (SLE) or porphyria
• Tetracycline antibiotics and retinoid creams (often used in acne)
• Keloid scarring
• Any medical condition such as diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome.

Lasers/IPL treatment questions

• Will it hurt? Answer: Sometimes, yes. It usually feels like a pricking or heat sensation, or the sting from being hit by an elastic band. There will often be the sensation of heat and redness in the skin afterwards. Creams and lotions after treatment can be purchased to help with these.
• How many treatments will I need? Answer: It very much depends on what you are having done. Ideally we will be able to advise you on a free initial consultation. However, as a rough guide, hair removal can take anywhere between 3 and 6 treatments. Skin rejuvenation/fine lines/pigmented lesion and rosacea/acne treatments can take again between 3 and 6 treatments. With hair removal, although there is permanent reduction in the hair, the occasional hair might reappear after a number of years, and a top up treatment could be required. With rosacea, top ups are required periodically.
• Are there any risks? Answer: With any treatment, be it medical, dental, herbal or beauty treatment there are bound to be risks. With laser/IPL, provided you do not fit into the list of contraindications, the risks are very minimal. There is no damaging radiation from laser light, and there are no reported links with cancers over the many years that lasers have been used medically. The main risks are that you might suffer a burn, bruising, hypo or hyperpigmentation. With burns and bruises, these are temporary. With hypo or hyperpigmentation, these are usually temporary, but there is a very small risk that this might be permanent.
• Is the treatment permanent? Answer: Hair removal is permanent reduction, thread vein treatments are permanent, fine lines/rejuvenation/age spots are all temporary, although give a good result that lasts for a long time. Unfortunately, we are unable to stop the effects of age advancing on our skins!

Fillers/injectables/peels

• Does it hurt? Answer: Botox and other skin wrinkle injections are mildly uncomfortable, similar to an insect bike. The needles used are very small indeed. Peels can give a stinging or burning sensation with some redness. Fillers can sometimes produce a swelling, redness and slight discomfort in the area, together with a little bruising. This is short-lived. There is a very low risk of an allergic reaction. Being treated at a GP surgery however, allows us access to the full range of equipment and drugs to treat you in the unlikely event of a severe reaction.
• How long does it last? Answer: Botox and other injectables last between 3-6 months. Peels last up to 2 months. Fillers last up to 9 months.
• What are the risks? Answer: Botox has been used safely in medical practice for well over 20 years. The potential side effects include swelling, bruising, bleeding and headache. All are temporary and not serious. The risks of peels are of infection, skin colour changes, and scarring. The risks of filers are bruising, swelling, redness and stinging. Again, all are minor and temporary. There is a very small risk of allergic reaction.