Frans Meulenberg, Director of the Dutch Society for Dermatology and Venereology (NVDV), and dermatologist Ronald Frank of the Berne Clinic (Bernhoven Hospital) are asked about the dangers.

1. Are these stricter requirements for laser treatments necessary?
Frans Meulenberg of the NVDV sees many things go wrong with laser treatments. Dermatologist Ronald Frank is also in favor of regulation. The safety requirements for laser treatments within a hospital are very high, whereas outside of it, there is no regulation. After all, it is equipment that carries risks.

2. What is the greatest danger of laser treatments if the practitioner is not properly trained?
If you are going to treat pigment spots with a laser, you need to understand what pigment spots entail. Not every spot can simply be burned away. The practitioner must have medical knowledge to assess whether it is a harmless pigment spot or skin cancer.

3. What are the further risks for the patient?
In addition to the danger of a misdiagnosis, the skin can be severely damaged. Consider burns, irreparable scars, and pigment spots. This becomes clear from the example of a woman who was burned during laser hair removal and still experiences pain on her skin a year later. This is not always due to the practitioner mishandling the device. Other factors are also important, such as the sun, or if the patient has conditions or medications that cause hypersensitivity to light.

4. Are the different laser treatments for hair removal, pigmentation spots, and tattoos equally risky?
Every laser has certain side effects, such as scarring or pigment spots that remain after hair removal. And pigment spots carry more risks due to the chance of misdiagnosis. With tattoos, for example, it concerns the type of laser used. There are many types and brands of lasers, and by no means are they all equally good. The best equipment is often also much more expensive. If you want to make a profit as an entrepreneur, you are inclined to purchase cheaper, less effective equipment and occasionally postpone maintenance.

5. Do home hair removal lasers have the same risks?
You cannot compare these to the powerful lasers used in dermatology. They operate at low energy, so they carry a lower risk of problems. However, the downside is that these devices are not very effective either. You don't burn the hairs away, but mainly make them thinner. As a result, you cannot get rid of the hairs at all afterwards. Not even with a laser treatment by a specialist.

Source: Laser treatments at beauty salons too dangerous, what are the risks?