Laser hair removal regulations sought
‘‘I was wired using a machine that could take someone’s eye out,’’ a former laser technician tells Bridie Witton.
Jade Sanha was so fatigued she could barely formulate sentences at times.
She was working long hours as a laser technician at a busy Wellington clinic. Twelve-hour shifts with back-to-back clients were common, and she often went without breaks.
‘‘We were just exhausted,’’ the 26-year-old said. ‘‘I was wired using a machine that could potentially take someone’s eye out.’’
Laser hair removal, a popular treatment where a special device emits pulses of light to kill hair follicles, sits between personal care and medical procedure.
It is usually painless and effective, but has a history of causing serious harm when not used correctly – discoloration, burns or worse. Wellington woman Charlotte Madden was partially blinded during a botched treatment to her eyebrows at a different Wellington clinic in 2014.
Sanha’s is the latest voice to call for regulation in the sector, while the health select committee raised concerns about the sector as far back as 2014. ACC spends thousands on laser hair removal injuries every year, with claims totalling $8768 last year, $2670 in 2019 and $11,312 in 2018.
Heather Thompson, a Tauranga-based laser trainer from the New Zealand Beauty Association, said technicians are often trained by the companies selling the machines, but this could vary from 45 minutes to a day. Thompson, who runs a training academy, said in her experience it would take a full week of laser training for a technician to feel comfortable.
Meanwhile, consumers were let down by the lack of regulations. They trust the clinics to know what they’re doing said Thompson, who had worked with lasers for 30 years.
‘‘They have good lasers, but I just know most clinics do not train their staff for long enough,’’ she said.
‘‘In the worst-case scenario you could be blinded, and I’ve been to many clinics where therapists are throwing applicators around, they don’t know the risks or know what they are doing.’’
Auckland Council changed its bylaws in 2019 requiring services that pierce or risk breaking or burning tissue to be licensed. But Thompson had heard from a person who bought a machine online and set it up in their garage, and believes there are many more such operators around the country.
Regulations for lasers vary around the world. In the United Kingdom, failure for operators of laser or intense light pulse systems to be registered with health authorities is a criminal offence. In the United States, the machines are subject to state controls that ensure they are used by or under the supervision of specific licensed practitioners.
Thompson called for an organisation, similar to the Master Builders Association, to be set up so consumers knew when a clinic met high standards. It damaged the industry when people were burnt, she said.
Sanha’s first experience with laser hair removal was with Laser Clinics New Zealand, where she was employed just before lockdown. She is a qualified beautician and has worked in the industry since she was 19. She had three days’ training, most of which was online, and was let go a week out of lockdown.
She then found work at The Cosmetic Clinic in July before leaving in April this year. Her
logbook showed she had more than six hours of supervision before she began treating clients after a flurry of resignations left the clinic short-staffed.
Sanha became more concerned when the busy clinic booked clients without a consultation. The consultations would allow her to check whether a person had any medical conditions, including whether they were pregnant, which meant they couldn’t have the treatment.
‘‘I’d be so drained it would be hard to have conversations with them. Should I be operating a machine if I am that exhausted?
‘‘I put clients and myself in a lot of danger.’’
The stress of this, combined with what she considered to be a bullying workplace, took a toll on Sanha and she went on sick leave in March. Then she wrote an email to her chief executive, outlining her concerns.
Cosmetic Clinic New Zealand chairperson Selina Hornibrook said there was an investigation following Sanha’s email, but that no-one was hurt during the time she worked there. The Sunday
Star- Times put the three incidents to Hornibrook, but she said they did not take place. She said the clinic was short-staffed but denied clients were booked for treatment without consultations.
The company had 20 adverse events out of the 200,000 customers it treated in the year ended March. None took place while Sanha worked at the clinic and all adverse events were logged and overseen by the company’s medical directors, she said.
‘‘No adverse events resulting from laser treatments occurred during the period that Jade worked there,’’ she said.
Clients had to sign a consent form and were given a pre-andpost treatment information pamphlet, which outlined the risks of the treatment. It also outlined what information clients should tell the technician, including if they had any medical issues, like allergies, were on any prescription medication or were pregnant or breastfeeding, she said.
‘‘Our investigation did determine that while the clinic did need more staff, the other issues were unsubstantiated and there was potentially a level of discontent resulting from the fact that the clinic owner did not sponsor Jade’s visa,’’ Hornibrook said.
Hornibrook did call for more regulation but said Sanha passed all her competency tests.
‘‘Unfortunately, in New Zealand the industry is either totally unregulated or very lightly regulated depending on which region you are based,’’ she said.
‘‘As a business, we would welcome a higher level of regulation in New Zealand so far as it pertains to the use of lasers for cosmetic purposes. We are already operating to a higher standard in regard to health and safety training.’’
But while Sanha had sought sponsorship to stay in New Zealand, as she is originally from the UK, this wasn’t her reason for coming forward, she said.
She would fly home next week to start studying radiology and is moving out of the industry.
‘‘I would like to stay here, but I know I can always come back in the future, so I am just going to concentrate on studying,’’ she said.
‘‘It makes me feel good thinking I could potentially make a difference. I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.’’
‘‘In the worst-case scenario, you could be blinded, and I’ve been to many clinics where therapists are throwing applicators around, they don’t know the risks or know what they are doing.’’ Heather Thompson Tauranga-based laser trainer from the New Zealand Beauty Association