Dr Tego of SKINMENU has launched a free Safe Laser Checklist with Dr Julia Charles to help patients identify key safety considerations when choosing laser treatments and providers.
The resource follows reports from patients who experienced complications after laser treatments, including burns during laser hair removal and skin treatments.
"This came about as I am frequently contacted by people who have been burnt by lasers at clinics, often for laser hair removal, but sometimes for skin treatments. So I decided to try a quality improvement project surrounding it, working alongside my peer, Dr Julia Charles," explains Dr Tego founder of SKINMENU.
Dr Tego explained that the checklist was developed following interviews through social media, with those who had been burnt by lasers and a review of literature on laser safety and the treatment of skin of colour.
"A big theme from the interviews was the wrong wavelength being accidentally selected in treatment. When patients noted it really hurt and felt extremely hot, they were commonly advised that this was normal and would settle, as the practitioner has not checked or assessed correctly. In some cases, they were blamed for not disclosing some exposure when they hadn’t been asked," said Dr Tego.
The checklist aims to help patients understand “exactly what they should be asking and what to look out for throughout the appointment”, with the aim of reducing laser-related complications.
The checklist is available here: Safe Laser Checklist
