Deliver light and laser hair removal and skin treatments safely, honestly and with confidence. This course explains how IPL, E-Light, SHR and diode laser work on hair and skin, and how to consult, skin type, patch test, plan a course, give aftercare and keep proper records.
Accredited CPD course: 12 CPD credits
The CPD Group accredited activity #1004199. 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
- UK law, laser safety, Local Rules, licensing and compliance
- How light-based treatments work, and the diode laser in depth
- The hair growth cycle, treatment times, intervals and course planning
- Fitzpatrick skin typing, patch testing, consultation, contraindications and consent
- Skin rejuvenation, and acne, pigmentation and vascular therapy in theory
- Aftercare, side effects, complications, case studies and records
- The IPL and E-Light operating procedure and SHR in depth
How it works
The course is blended: 12 hours in all, made up of 5 hours of home study and 7 hours of classroom guided learning on a training day at 26 The Avenue, Southampton. On the day you carry out six supervised, observed treatments on volunteer models: three hair removal and three skin rejuvenation. Acne, pigmentation and vascular treatments are taught in theory only. You will need a Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge certificate, Level 3 Anatomy and Physiology, and to be 18 or over.
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Course at a glance
| CPD credits | 12 |
|---|---|
| CPD Group activity number | #1004199 |
| Total study time | 12 hours |
| Home study | 5 hours |
| Practical | 3.75 hours |
| Lessons | 19 lessons, 111 topics |
| Certificate | Issued when you pass |
Who can take this course
Essential: Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge certificate; Level 3 Anatomy and Physiology (Recognition of Prior Learning accepted against this, never for the practical or for Core of Knowledge); age 18 or over. Essential before you treat clients: training on the device you will use, and insurance that names each treatment and each device you use.
What you will learn
- Explain why a laser or IPL practitioner has a legal duty of care
- Name the main health and safety laws that apply to a treatment room and say what each is for
- Explain selective photothermolysis in simple terms
- Name the target (chromophore) in hair removal
- Explain how a diode laser produces its light
- Describe what the cooled sapphire lens does
- Describe the basic structure of a hair and its follicle
- Name the two structures the heat must disable
- Estimate typical treatment times for common body areas
- Explain how spot size and mode change treatment time
- Describe the three layers of the skin
- Explain where melanin and the follicle sit
- Describe what a thorough consultation includes
- Name the four consultation techniques assessed in practice
- Explain what skin rejuvenation (photorejuvenation, SSR) is
- Describe the three targets: pigment, redness and collagen
- Explain in simple terms how light-based acne therapy works
- Name the two things the light is aiming at
- Describe what causes the pigmented marks that light treatment can help
- Explain how selective photothermolysis fades a pigmented mark
- Describe the vascular concerns light can help
- Name the concerns that must be referred and never treated on this course
- Give the standard aftercare advice for IPL, SHR and diode treatment
- Explain why cool compresses, not ice, are used
- List the records kept for every client
- Describe when each record is made during a client's course
Course structure
Lesson 1: Start here: your course guide (5 topics)
- What this course covers and what it does not
- The 12 hours: home study and your training day
- Entry requirements and Recognition of Prior Learning
- How the course is delivered and assessed
- Your trainer, your responsibilities and accessibility support
Lesson 2: Law, laser safety and compliance (8 topics)
- Your duty of care and the key health and safety laws
- The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010
- Medical devices, the MHRA and the UK Responsible Person
- Licensing and registration in England
- Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- The three safety roles: LPA, LPS and Authorised User
- Local Rules and the laser controlled area
- Electricity, infection control, insurance and your compliance checklist
Lesson 3: How light-based treatments work (6 topics)
- Selective photothermolysis: the principle behind every treatment
- Why melanin matters: hair colour, skin colour and response
- Wavelength: the most important word in this course
- The technologies compared: IPL, E-Light, SHR and diode laser
- IPL filters: matching the light to the treatment
- Handpieces, spot-size tips, eyewear and saving settings
Lesson 4: Diode laser in depth (7 topics)
- How a diode laser works and why it is efficient
- The settings that matter
- Stamping and in-motion modes
- Multi-wavelength diodes, handpieces and spot size
- Safer settings for darker or tanned skin
- What the clinical evidence shows, and honest expectations
- Diode technique: the essentials, and how the skin heals
Lesson 5: The hair and the growth cycle (5 topics)
- The hair and its follicle: your treatment targets
- The four stages of the hair growth cycle
- Why one session is never enough, and why the cycle sets your intervals
- What can change the cycle: hormones, medication and life stages
- Preparation: shave, do not wax
Lesson 6: Treatment times, intervals and course planning (5 topics)
- How long does a treatment take?
- Planning the whole appointment
- Intervals between hair removal sessions
- Golden rules for planning a hair removal course
- Sessions and intervals for each treatment
Lesson 7: Skin, Fitzpatrick typing and patch testing (7 topics)
- The skin in brief: the layers that matter to light
- The Fitzpatrick scale
- The skin typing form and its scoring
- Tanning and skin type
- Patch testing: the rules and the waiting times
- Doing and recording a patch test: cooling off, eight entries
- Patch tests on the training day: the one exception
Lesson 8: Consultation, contraindications and consent (8 topics)
- The consultation: protecting the client and yourself
- Contraindications at a glance: do not treat, or treat with caution
- Acting on the medical history: immune system, bleeding and blood thinners, skin and cancer
- Acting on the medical history: pregnancy, other conditions and recent treatments
- Medication, herbal remedies and photosensitising substances
- Tattoos, permanent make-up, moles and implants: never over the wrong target
- Informed consent
- Questions students often ask
Lesson 9: Skin rejuvenation (IPL, E-Light, SHR, SSR) (5 topics)
- What skin rejuvenation does: three targets, one treatment
- How the light reaches its targets, and what the studies say
- Who suits it, and the course and results
- Patch test, settings and technique for skin rejuvenation
- How the skin heals, aftercare and honest wording
Lesson 10: Acne therapy (5 topics)
- How light treats acne
- The photochemical reaction and the wavelengths used
- Who is suitable, and who must be referred
- Evidence, course length and results
- How the skin heals, aftercare and your acne parameters
Lesson 11: Pigmentation therapy (5 topics)
- What causes pigmentation, and how light fades it
- Which marks respond, and which you refer
- The treatment experience
- Course, results, patch test and parameters
- How the skin heals and aftercare after pigmentation treatment
Lesson 12: Vascular therapy (thread veins and redness) (5 topics)
- What can be treated, and what must be referred
- How vascular treatment works
- Results, honesty and the evidence
- Patch test, parameters and practical considerations
- How the skin heals and aftercare after vascular treatment
Lesson 13: Aftercare, side effects and complications (6 topics)
- Standard aftercare advice
- Why healing sets the interval, and why aftercare protects results
- Normal reactions and complications
- First aid for a laser or IPL burn
- Eye exposure and emergencies
- Recording, reporting and what the law may require
Lesson 14: Professional practice and record keeping (6 topics)
- The records you must keep, and the client file
- Confidentiality and data protection
- Standards of behaviour
- Honest advertising and claims
- Equality, consumer rights, age and complaints
- The laser and IPL safety file
Lesson 15: What went wrong? Case-study reflections (5 topics)
- Learning from treatments that went wrong
- Case 1: a patterned burn following the handpiece
- Case 2: a blistering burn from too much energy
- Case 3: a severe burn on darker skin
- Case 4: patterned pigment change and blistering, and the lesson that runs through
Lesson 16: IPL and E-Light: step-by-step operating procedure (7 topics)
- Before you begin: the machine, the room and the client
- Setting up the treatment: reading the settings chart
- Test patch technique
- Reading the client's reaction and finding the right energy
- Delayed reactions, then the full treatment
- Do's and don'ts: reduce, shield or avoid
- Completing the treatment, and a note on settings
Lesson 17: SHR in depth (5 topics)
- What SHR is, and why in-motion delivery matters
- SHR compared with single-pulse delivery
- Typical SHR settings: the general shape
- The in-motion technique, step by step
- SHR safety across the three technologies
Lesson 18: Your final assessment (5 topics)
- How you are assessed
- What you must pass
- If you are referred, and when your certificate is issued
- How the assessment maps to the learning outcomes
- Writing a good Part B and scenario answer
Lesson 19: Your practical day and trainer sign-off (6 topics)
- The training day: running order and what each session is for
- Before your training day: what you need to do
- Models, patch tests, consent and forms on the day
- Part C: hair removal observations
- Part C: skin rejuvenation observations
- Sign-off, your certificate, feedback and your CPD record
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.
