Learn to use a fractional CO₂ laser safely, honestly and well. This 16-hour CPD course teaches the science, safety, consultation, settings, technique and aftercare of fractional CO₂ treatment, taught on the MED-870+ FOCXEL.
Accredited CPD course: 16 CPD credits
The CPD Group accredited activity #1017976. Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd is an approved CPD provider (#777800). This is a CPD course: it is not a regulated qualification and carries no qualification level.
What this course covers
- What a CO₂ laser is, how it works on the skin and how it differs from other devices
- The skin, healing, scars and Fitzpatrick skin types
- The MED-870+, its tips and spacers, set-up and care
- Laser safety, the Laser Controlled Area, eyewear, fire and plume
- Consultation, contraindications, medicines and informed consent
- Settings, thermal card tests and patch tests
- Step-by-step protocols for rejuvenation, fine lines, scars, stretch marks and benign lesion removal
- Sessions, evidence, aftercare, complications and UK law
How it works
The course is a general fractional CO₂ course taught on one machine. You work through short lessons with a check your knowledge quiz for each, then complete a final assessment. Practical training is in small groups on the MED-870+, with three supervised treatments on models and two case studies. The pass mark for the knowledge review is 100%. You need an up-to-date Core of Knowledge laser safety certificate and a Level 5 or Level 6 (or higher) laser and light qualification. Intimate treatments and treatment around the eyes are not covered.
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Course at a glance
| CPD credits | 16 |
|---|---|
| CPD Group activity number | #1017976 |
| Total study time | 16 hours |
| Lessons | 16 lessons, 119 topics |
| Certificate | Issued when you pass |
Who can take this course
An up-to-date accredited Core of Knowledge laser safety certificate, plus a Level 5 or Level 6 (or higher) laser and light qualification.
What you will learn
- Explain in plain words what the word laser stands for
- Describe the three ways laser light differs from ordinary light
- Explain wavelength and where 10,600 nm sits in the spectrum
- Describe the purpose and hazard of the aiming beam
- Name the three layers of the skin and say what each does
- Describe the layers of the epidermis from bottom to top
- Describe the machine, its two treatment heads and its registered name
- State the regulatory details correctly
- Explain why laser safety is a system rather than a single item
- Describe the laser classes from Class 1 to Class 4
- Describe the features of a suitable client
- Use compliant wording in consultation
- Explain what each fractional setting controls and what turning it up does
- Calculate energy per spot from power and duration
- Describe the seventeen stages of a fractional treatment session in order
- Complete the day-before paperwork and preparation checks
- Describe who protocol 1 is for and the spacer and settings used
- State the endpoint, sessions and expected healing
- Read a settings window: start here, manufacturer reference and never go above
- Choose the right probe for the job and know what not to use it for
- Explain why the skin needs time between sessions
- Use the session and interval table as a starting point
- Explain why aftercare is part of the treatment
- Describe the typical recovery timeline
- Explain why you must check the current rules for your part of the UK
- Name the main health and safety laws that apply to laser use
Course structure
Lesson 1: Start here: your course guide (4 topics)
- Welcome: what this course covers and what it does not
- Your course at a glance and overall learning outcomes
- How the course is delivered and assessed, and who teaches it
- Accessibility, learning support and how to use the lesson boxes
Lesson 2: What a CO₂ laser is and what it does (9 topics)
- What is a laser?
- What is a CO₂ laser?
- A brief history of the CO₂ laser
- Ablative and non-ablative lasers
- What fractional CO₂ is designed to help with
- What fractional CO₂ cannot or should not treat
- How fractional CO₂ compares with other skin lasers
- Advantages, limitations and honest advertising
- Meet your teaching device: the MED-870+
Lesson 3: How the CO₂ laser works on the skin, and why (8 topics)
- Light, wavelength, the aiming beam and why the CO₂ laser targets water
- Skin colour: absorption is not the same as risk
- What happens in one laser spot: the three zones
- Fractional and full-field treatment, and why fractional heals faster
- How the skin heals and makes new collagen
- The laser settings glossary: power, energy, pulse duration and frequency
- Dot spacing, density, passes, scan shapes and modes
- Spot size, fluence and what happens when you turn settings up
Lesson 4: The skin, healing and skin types (8 topics)
- The structure of the skin and the epidermis
- Melanocytes, the dermis and the hypodermis
- Skin thickness is not the same everywhere
- How skin heals after a laser injury
- Why skin ages, scars and stretch marks
- Skin types: the Fitzpatrick scale
- Treating Types IV to VI, preparing the skin and working out skin type
- PIH, hypopigmentation and skin conditions that matter
Lesson 5: Your teaching device: the MED-870+ and what each tip does (10 topics)
- The MED-870+ at a glance and its regulatory status
- Specification, what comes in the box, keys and the bypass plug
- Parts of the machine, safety features and the articulated arm
- What each tip does: the fractional head, the three spacers and the UltraPulse head
- The touchscreen: tabs and the Fractional screen
- The Fractional screen: shape, modes, memory and ready state
- The Normal screen, the Setting screen, alarms and scan shapes
- Siting the machine and setting up, step by step
- Switching off, moving, storing and cleaning
- Maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting and the logs
Lesson 6: Laser safety and the Laser Controlled Area (11 topics)
- Why safety matters, and laser classes in plain English
- Hazard 1: the eyes
- Hazards 2 and 3: skin burns and fire
- Hazard 4: laser plume
- Reflections, electricity and equipment hazards, and why everyone wears eyewear
- Laser safety eyewear and reading an EN 207 marking
- Protecting the client's eyes
- The Laser Controlled Area
- People, roles, Local Rules and the treatment register
- Safety checks before each session and the risk assessment
- Accidents, incidents and first aid
Lesson 7: Who and what it is suitable for: consultation and contraindications (9 topics)
- The ideal client and realistic expectations
- Who is suitable? A consultation guide to what can and cannot be treated
- The consultation, step by step: from welcome to cooling off
- Contraindications: the three groups and the absolute list
- Relative contraindications: caution and medical advice first
- Temporary deferrals and your insurer's conditions
- Medicines to ask about, and unrealistic expectations
- Informed consent in plain English
- Photographs and record keeping
Lesson 8: Settings: the exact parameters (9 topics)
- Reading the settings and the golden rules
- The manufacturer's reference settings: fractional mode
- Where to start: guidance for first-time users
- The manufacturer's reference settings: UltraPulse head
- Reducing settings for thin skin and for Fitzpatrick types IV to VI, and passes
- Clinical endpoints and the signs that mean stop
- The thermal card test
- The patch test
- Writing settings into the treatment record
Lesson 9: Step-by-step treatment guide: the session from start to finish (9 topics)
- The treatment session from start to finish, and the day-before checks
- Stage 2: setting up the Laser Controlled Area and your trolley
- Stages 3 to 5: preparing the client, topical anaesthetic, cleansing and drying
- Stages 6 and 7: eye protection and smoke evacuation
- Stage 8: setting up the machine and test-firing
- Stages 9 and 10: handpiece technique and placing scans
- Where to reduce settings on the face, and watching the skin response
- Stages 12 to 15: passes, residue, immediate aftercare, records and follow-up
- Cleaning, shutting down and spotting the hazards
Lesson 10: Treatment protocols and what to do if something goes wrong (7 topics)
- Protocols 1 and 2: skin rejuvenation, fine lines and wrinkles
- Protocol 3: acne scars and other sunken scars
- Protocol 4: surgical, traumatic and burn scars
- Protocol 5: stretch marks
- Protocol 6: benign lesion removal with the UltraPulse head, and why diagnosis comes first
- Protocol 6 step by step: layer-by-layer lesion removal and wound care
- What to do if something goes wrong during treatment
Lesson 11: The MED-870+ made simple: quick guide and treatment cards (5 topics)
- The quick guide: how to read a settings window and which probe does what
- Start-up, shut-down, emergency and the basic technique at the couch
- Treatment cards: skin rejuvenation, fine lines, acne marks and acne pits
- Treatment cards: surgical and burn scars, stretch marks and pigment spots
- Treatment card: benign lesions, and what is not for first-time users
Lesson 12: Sessions, intervals and the clinical evidence (6 topics)
- Why the gap between sessions matters, and how many sessions and how far apart
- Planning a course: longer gaps, honest manufacturer guidance and realistic timelines
- What results to expect, and how to read a clinical study
- The evidence: where fractional treatment came from, and photoageing
- The evidence: acne scars, other scars, stretch marks and lesions
- The evidence: side effects, darker skin and laser plume
Lesson 13: Aftercare, side effects and complications (9 topics)
- Why aftercare matters, and what the client should expect day by day
- Downtime, things that slow healing, and aftercare straight after treatment
- Aftercare instructions: the first 48 hours, cleansing, healing and active skincare
- Sun protection
- The client aftercare leaflet and the follow-up schedule
- Normal reactions and warning signs
- Complications (part 1): redness, pigment change, infections
- Complications (part 2): acne, dermatitis, burns, scarring, ectropion and demarcation
- Reducing the risk of complications, and managing one within your scope
Lesson 14: The law and professional practice (6 topics)
- Why the law is changing, and health and safety law
- MHRA safe use guidance: Local Rules, the LPA and LPS, authorised users and audit
- Registration and licensing around the UK
- Medical devices law and medicines within your scope of practice
- Consent in law and advertising your treatments
- Reporting incidents, insurance, records, equality and professional development
Lesson 15: Your final assessment (4 topics)
- How your knowledge is assessed
- Revision map: what the short-answer questions cover
- Answering Parts A, B and C
- The case studies, sign-off, certificate and CPD record
Lesson 16: Your practical day(s) and trainer sign-off (5 topics)
- Your practical day: the Day 2 programme and what to bring
- Practical assessment 1: fractional skin rejuvenation
- Practical assessment 2: benign lesion removal with the UltraPulse head
- Practical assessment 3: fractional treatment of scarring or skin texture
- The model forms, competent or not yet, and your trainer sign-off
How you are assessed
Each teaching lesson ends with a short multiple choice quiz. Your final assessment combines multiple choice questions with written answers marked by your trainer, and your supervised practical is signed off by your trainer. Your certificate is issued when you pass.
