What this course is
Pigmentation is where many practitioners get into trouble, because treating it well means understanding what is causing it before you point any light at it. This CPD course starts with the skin science and works forward from there.
You learn the melanocyte and skin phototypes, how pigment is made, what oxidative stress and ageing do to the skin, what causes pigmentation, and how to tell the types apart, including post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Then comes treatment: how light, IPL and laser reduce pigment, the clinic protocol, the clinical endpoints that tell you when to stop, and the Q-switched Nd:YAG technique. A full unit covers darker skin types, and another covers when to refer.
It is for practitioners who work with, or plan to work with, IPL or Q-switched Nd:YAG and who meet the entry requirements below.
What you get for your price
- Online lessons you can study at your own pace and revisit as often as you need before your practical day
- Narrated lesson videos with diagrams, downloadable slide decks for every lesson, and quizzes to check your learning
- A hardback manual and workbook, which our course page says is posted to you when you book (see the FAQ)
- A supervised practical training day at our Southampton academy, treating a live model with IPL and another with Q-switched Nd:YAG
- A client forms pack for IPL and Nd:YAG, with model sets for your practical, and a downloadable client forms pack
- An accredited CPD certificate, plus your signed practical competency checklists
- Ongoing support from the Skintastic team
How the course works, step by step
- Enrol. Buy the course online. It is added to your account and you can start the online lessons.
- Study (7 hours of home study). Work through the online lessons and your workbook, answer the written questions, and complete the knowledge review and multiple choice paper at home.
- Arrange your practical day. We arrange your training day with you after you buy.
- Training day (09:30 to 15:30). At 26 The Avenue, Southampton. Your workbook is handed in for marking, then teaching, patch testing of both models, a trainer demonstration and your two supervised treatments.
- Assessment and certificate. Your certificate is issued only when your theory and both observed treatments are complete.
The total is 12 hours and 12 CPD credits: 7 hours of home study and 5 hours of guided learning on the day.
What the course covers
| Lesson | What you learn |
|---|---|
| Health and safety and your legal duties | Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010 |
| UK regulations, the LPA and compliance | Local Rules, your Laser Protection Adviser and the LPA site visit |
| Laser safety | Laser classes and eye protection |
| The skin, the melanocyte and phototypes | Skin structure and Fitzpatrick phototyping done properly |
| Melanogenesis and the MSH cascade | How pigment is made and what triggers pigment production |
| Cellular damage, oxidative stress and ageing | What is happening in the skin underneath the pigment you can see |
| What causes pigmentation, and why | Sun, hormones, medication, inflammation and injury |
| The types of pigmentation | Telling them apart, because they do not all respond the same way |
| Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation | Recognising it, treating it, and not causing it |
| Consultation, visual analysis and patch testing | Reading the skin, recording it and testing |
| How light, IPL and laser reduce pigment | The mechanism, wavelength selection (532 nm and 1064 nm) and what each device can and cannot do |
| Treatment in practice, protocol and clinical endpoints | The Skintastic clinic protocol step by step, including the Q-switched Nd:YAG technique, what normal looks like and when to stop |
| Treating darker skin types safely | Fitzpatrick IV to VI, settings, testing and risk |
| Aftercare, side effects and complications | What you send them home with and how to manage what goes wrong |
| Other treatment methods and when to refer | Knowing the limits of what you should be treating |
Before and on your practical day
- Complete all of the online theory before your practical day.
- Wear your salon clothes or smart casual, because the training is clinical.
- Your practical date is arranged with you after you enrol.
- Lunch is provided on your practical day.
Entry requirements, insurance and scope of practice
Our course page states the entry requirements as a regulated Level 3 qualification in Anatomy and Physiology (or equivalent) and a Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge certificate. If you are missing either, you can take them with us first. The course manual also says you need existing laser and IPL competence, device-specific training on the IPL and Q-switched Nd:YAG you will use before you treat, and that you must be 18 or over.
We accept Recognition of Prior Learning against these requirements. Send us your evidence before you book. It is never accepted in place of the practical.
Insurance and scope. Most insurers want to see an existing beauty or aesthetics qualification alongside a CPD certificate, and you need insurance covering pigmentation treatment before you treat. We cannot promise that any insurer will cover you, so check with yours before you buy. This course does not replace your Core of Knowledge or your device training, and it does not qualify you to treat any pigmented lesion that has not been diagnosed as benign.
The practical element
The practical is one classroom day, 09:30 to 15:30, at our academy, 26 The Avenue, Southampton SO17 1XL. The day covers regulation, skin science, consultation, the treatment protocol and aftercare, then your supervised practical.
You patch test both training models and then treat two volunteer models under supervision: one with IPL and one with the Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Skintastic provides the models at our Southampton venue. On the training day, models are patch tested and treated on the same day. This is a training arrangement only; in your own clinic the waiting times apply.
Tell us before you book if you need reasonable adjustments.
Assessment and your certificate
Theory is assessed by the Check your understanding questions, the knowledge review and the multiple choice paper, all completed at home in your workbook and marked by your trainer on the training day. Practical is assessed on your two supervised treatments, IPL and Q-switched Nd:YAG. Each is observed and signed off separately on its own practical competency checklist, because competence on one device does not show competence on the other.
Your accredited CPD certificate, with your signed checklists, is issued only when the theory and both practical observations are complete. This is a CPD course. It does not carry a qualification level.
CPD accreditation and how to verify it
This course is accredited by The CPD Group and carries 12 CPD credits (activity #1014243). Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd is a CPD Group approved provider, number 777800. The accreditation runs to 29 September 2029. Anyone can check it for themselves:
Check this course on The CPD Register (activity #1014243)
Price, payment options and enrolling
The course costs £399.
Pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal. Klarna and Clearpay may also be offered at checkout, subject to status.
After you buy, the course is added to your account on the academy, and you can start the online lessons. We then arrange your practical training day with you at our Southampton academy.
Cancellations, refunds, access time and rescheduling
This is a summary. The full wording is in our terms and conditions, which apply to your order.
- Price and VAT. Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd is not VAT registered, so no VAT is added to the course price. Payment is taken in full when you order.
- Online access. Your access to the online lessons lasts 12 months from the date of purchase.
- Cancelling. At checkout you tick a box to start your online access straight away, and by ticking it you give up the 14 day right to cancel the online materials. Refunds, where they apply, go back to the original payment method within 14 days of us receiving your written cancellation (an email is enough).
- Practical day. If you book a practical day you may cancel within 14 days of buying and before the day takes place, and you are refunded in full less a fair amount for any services already provided at your request. You may move your practical day once, free of charge, if you tell us in writing at least 14 days before it. If you tell us later than that, or do not attend, the day is treated as used. A further date may be offered at our discretion for a rebooking fee of 25% of the price you paid for the course.
- After the cancellation period. Once the 14 days have ended, courses are non refundable, including if you change your mind, cannot attend, fail an assessment, or find that your insurer will not accept the course. Your statutory rights are not affected.
- Your certificate. It is issued once you have completed every required part of the course and passed the assessments.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Pigmentation Reduction course cost?
The course costs £399. You can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal. Klarna and Clearpay may also be offered at checkout, subject to status.
How long is the course?
It is 12 hours: 7 hours of home study with your workbook and one classroom day, 09:30 to 15:30, at our Southampton academy (5 hours of guided learning; lunch and breaks are not counted).
Can I study at my own pace?
Yes. The online lessons let you work at your own pace and go over anything as many times as you need before you come in. Your written work is completed at home and marked by your trainer on the training day.
What qualifications do I need before I book?
Our course page asks for a regulated Level 3 qualification in Anatomy and Physiology (or equivalent) and a Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge certificate. The course manual also expects existing laser and IPL competence, and you must be 18 or over. If you are missing something, or are unsure, ask us. We accept Recognition of Prior Learning, so send us your evidence before you book.
Is the course accredited, and how do I check?
Yes. It is accredited by The CPD Group for 12 CPD credits (activity 1014243), and Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd is an approved provider, number 777800. You can verify it yourself on The CPD Register using the link on this page. It is a CPD course and carries no qualification level.
Will I get a certificate, and when?
You receive an accredited CPD certificate, 12 credits, plus your signed practical competency checklists, once your theory and both observed treatments are complete. Ask us if you need to know how and when it reaches you.
Will my insurer cover me?
We cannot promise that. Most insurers want to see an existing beauty or aesthetics qualification alongside a CPD certificate, your Core of Knowledge and evidence of device training. You need insurance covering pigmentation treatment before you treat. Check before you buy, or message us on WhatsApp and we will go through it with you.
Do I need my own machine, and can I use any machine?
You do not need one to take the course. The course teaches the application and your supplier teaches your machine. You need device-specific training on the IPL and Q-switched Nd:YAG you will use, and your settings come from its instructions.
Can I treat any pigmented mark after the course?
No. The course does not qualify you to treat a pigmented lesion that has not been diagnosed as benign. It teaches you which conditions you must refer rather than treat.
Where is the practical day, and how do I book it?
It is at 26 The Avenue, Southampton SO17 1XL. After you buy, we arrange your training day with you. Message us on WhatsApp, call 02381 946394 or email info@skintasticaesthetics.com to ask about the next dates.
Who provides the models?
Skintastic provides the models at our Southampton venue.
What support do I get, and what if I am not yet competent?
You have ongoing support from the Skintastic team. If a part is not yet met, your trainer records what is needed and you can be reassessed. Ask us about any reassessment charge or arrangement.
Is the printed manual included, and can I get a refund?
Our course page says a hardback manual and workbook is posted to you when you book, so please confirm your delivery details with us when you enrol. For refunds, please see our terms and conditions or ask us before you buy.
Is VAT added to the price?
No. Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd is not VAT registered, so no VAT is added to the course price shown.
How long do I have access to the online lessons?
Your access to the online lessons lasts 12 months from the date of purchase.
Can I cancel and get a refund?
You have 14 days to cancel, but the right to cancel the online materials is lost once your access starts and you have ticked the box at checkout to agree to that. Once the 14 days have ended, courses are non refundable. Refunds that apply are paid to the original payment method within 14 days of us receiving your written cancellation. Full details are in our terms and conditions.
What if I need to move my practical day?
You may move your practical day once, free of charge, if you tell us in writing at least 14 days before it. After that, or if you do not attend, the day is treated as used, and a further date may be offered at our discretion for a rebooking fee of 25% of the price you paid.
Contact
Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd, 26 The Avenue, Southampton SO17 1XL.
Telephone: 02381 946394.
Email: info@skintasticaesthetics.com.
You can also message us on WhatsApp from our main website, skintasticaesthetics.com.
