Laser/IPL regulation and national uniformity evolving for 2017

The ARPANSA Radiation Health Committee (RHC) met again recently. Wow, they have their work cut out for them. The comments resolution table from the public submissions on the Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement on Intense Pulsed Light sources (IPLs) and Lasers for Cosmetic or Beauty Therapy is currently 447 pages long and a complete analysis is still to be completed. The issues raised are numerous and complex (we know that there was in excess of 200 submissions) and the resolution process is therefore going to take a bit longer.

The committee has observed that many of the issues raised are wider than the radiation protection issues typically of concern to the RHC, and it was suggested that the Working Group might consider the involvement of other bodies such as TGA (for equipment quality issues) and AHPRA (for professional standards and training issues). We couldn’t agree more with the need to second additional collaboration from the TGA and AHPRA!

As you may remember, in our submission we called for the TGA to approve all light-based, radiofrequency, ultrasound or other devices imported for skin health therapies, that national standards should be developed for 1) client care, 2) clinician education and training and 3) the accreditation of premises providing cosmetic/aesthetic services. We also recommended that the capacity of AHPRA and administrators of the Public Health Regulation be examined with regards to complaints about registered and non-registered health practitioners who use lasers and/or IPL in health care, with a view of course to reducing/eliminating such complaints with the delivery of excellent, evidence-based, peer reviewed education as a cornerstone of the use of lasers and IPL.

#lasersafetyaustralia @BravuraEdu @acn_tweet #medicaldevices #laser #IPL @ARPANSAnews @tga @PSHAustralia @aus_scienceweek #natsciwk