AL1
Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser System
Tattoo removal, pigmentation and skin rejuvenation from one portable platform.
- 1064nm + 532nm + 1320nm
- 6ns pulse width
- Up to 2000mJ
- Class IIb medical device
- Skintastic is the UK Responsible Person
Two versions. Finance available, subject to status and lender approval. Engineer installation, LPA package and Ofqual regulated training included.
- TÜV SÜD 0123
- Class IIb medical device
- Skintastic is the UKRP
- 18 month warranty
- UK engineer support
- Established 2011
Registration with, or membership of, any body named here does not imply their endorsement or approval of Skintastic or of this device.
The machine we answer for ourselves
On most imported lasers the UK Responsible Person is a third party you will never meet. On the AL1 it is us. Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies Ltd is the named UK Responsible Person to the MHRA for this device, under our own MHRA account.
That means when your insurer, your Laser Protection Adviser or your council asks who answers for this machine in the United Kingdom, the answer is the company that sold it to you, trained you on it and services it. Not an address in London you have never heard of.
- Skintastic named as UK Responsible Person, MHRA account 0000031964
- Class IIb, the higher risk classification
- Notified body TÜV SÜD, number 0123
- Registered with the MHRA 19 June 2024
- Full documentation pack supplied before you buy
Three wavelengths, one portable system
Five tips are supplied as standard, including the fractional and focus array tips. The aiming beam is 650nm and spot size is adjustable from 1 to 8mm, so the same machine covers a broad tattoo and a single freckle.
What clinics use it for
Tattoo removal
Professional, amateur and traumatic tattoos. The 6ns pulse shatters the ink without the sustained heat that causes scarring.
Pigmentation
Sun spots, age spots, freckling, nevus of Ota and birthmarks.
Carbon laser peel
The 1320nm facial. Brightens, refines pores and needs no downtime, which is why it books so well before events.
SPMU removal
Semi permanent makeup and embroidered eyebrow removal.
Fungal nail
Laser treatment for onychomycosis, a treatment most local clinics cannot offer.
Skin rejuvenation
Brightening, pore refinement and improvement in overall skin quality.
Q-switched technology works on a very short pulse, three to eight nanoseconds. The pigment absorbs the energy, heats, swells and shatters, and the body clears it. Surrounding skin without pigment is largely unaffected, which is what keeps the risk of scarring low.
Choose the output that suits your list
Both versions carry the same three wavelengths, the same five tips and the same regulatory standing. The difference is peak energy. If tattoo removal is going to be a significant part of your income, take the double rod.
Full specification
| Item | AL1 |
|---|---|
| Laser type | Q-switched Nd:YAG, dermatological frequency doubled solid state laser system |
| Wavelengths | 1064nm, 532nm and 1320nm, plus fractional and focus array tips |
| Tips supplied | Five as standard |
| Pulse width | 6ns |
| Pulse energy | 100 to 1000mJ single rod, or 100 to 2000mJ double rod |
| Frequency | 1 to 10Hz, adjustable |
| Spot size | 1 to 8mm, adjustable |
| Aiming beam | 650nm |
| Crystal life | 1 million shots pre-loaded |
| Display | 8.4 inch true colour LCD touchscreen |
| Cooling | Superior radiator, air and water |
| Electrical | 110V or 240V AC, 50 to 60Hz |
| Dimensions | 380 × 320 × 480mm (W × D × H) |
| Net weight | 25kg |
| Classification | Class 4 laser, BS EN 60825-1 |
Taken from the manufacturer specification and user manual. If you need the full technical file for your Laser Protection Adviser, ask and we will send it.
Eighteen months, and twelve on the emitting parts
months
The machine, its shell and its electronics.
months
The laser rod and lamp, which are consumable emitting components.
Repairs are carried out by a UK engineer. We do not ask clinic owners to open the shell of a Class 4 laser.
Who is responsible for what
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | AL1, Nd:YAG laser therapy system |
| Manufacturer | Beijing Kes Biology Technology Co., Ltd, Mafang Industrial Park, Pinggu District, 101204 Beijing, China |
| Manufacturer SRN | CN-MF-000002099 |
| Risk classification | Class IIb |
| Basic UDI-DI | 697151312214F8 and 697151312203F3 |
| Notified body | TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH, number 0123 |
| Certificate | G1 091024 0003 Rev. 03, EC Certificate, Full Quality Assurance System, Directive 93/42/EEC Annex II excluding (4). Valid from 10 January 2020. |
| Continued validity | Confirmed by TÜV SÜD on 28 May 2024, reference CL 091024 0006 Rev. 02, under Article 120 of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2023/607. For Great Britain, CE marked devices certified under Directive 93/42/EEC may be placed on the market until the sooner of certificate expiry or 30 June 2028. |
| MHRA registration | Registered 19 June 2024, application reference 2024061001368022, GMDN 47877, dermatological frequency doubled solid state laser system |
| UK Responsible Person | Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies Ltd, MHRA account 0000031964 |
| Skintastic role | UK Responsible Person, UK importer and distributor |
| Standards applied | IEC/EN 60601-1 · 60601-1-2 · 60601-2-22 · IEC/EN 60825-1 · ISO 13485 |
| Also cleared | US FDA 510(k) K193477. An FDA clearance has no legal effect in the United Kingdom and we never describe it as approval. |
Registration of a medical device with the MHRA records who is responsible for it. It is not accreditation, certification, approval or endorsement, and we never describe it as such.
Copies of the certificates, the MHRA registration confirmation and the supporting test reports are held on file and supplied with the machine.
Who you will need, and where you will need them
Buying the laser is the straightforward part. What stops clinics trading is usually the paperwork around it, and most people meet these three roles for the first time when a council asks for them. Here is what each one is, in plain terms.
LPA
Laser Protection Adviser
An independent, certified laser safety specialist, normally RPA2000 registered. The LPA carries out a site audit of your treatment room, writes your Local Rules and risk assessment, specifies the correct protective eyewear for your exact wavelengths, and defines the controlled area. This is the appointment a licensing authority will always ask about. Your LPA is not your supplier and should not be.
LPS
Laser Protection Supervisor
Usually you, or a senior member of your team. The LPS is the person on site who is responsible day to day for the Local Rules actually being followed, for keeping the treatment register and the authorised user register, and for making sure nobody operates the machine who is not trained and named. The LPA writes the rules. The LPS lives by them.
EMP
Expert Medical Practitioner
A GMC registered doctor who issues your written Treatment Protocol for that specific device and remains available for clinical advice, on photosensitive medication, on adverse reactions and on contraindications. Their CV, GMC registration and insurance schedule are supplied for your council inspector. Also referred to as an ERHP.
Not every authority writes the EMP into its licence conditions. Some do, some treat it as advisory and some simply ask you to hold a list of practitioners. Our own Laser Protection Adviser recommends appointing one in every case, because a protocol cannot be back-dated and a doctor is only realistically available to you after an incident if they were already retained before it.
Where a licence is required
Licensing is not national. It depends on whether your council holds the local powers, which is why two clinics doing identical work in different towns can face completely different requirements. These are the areas where a licence is commonly required for laser and IPL.
| Area | Authorities |
|---|---|
| All 32 London boroughs | Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth and Westminster |
| Nottinghamshire | Nottingham City, Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe |
| Kent and Medway | Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Medway, Sevenoaks, Swale, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells |
| Sussex | Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne, Lewes and Wealden |
| Midlands | Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Leicester, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Worcestershire |
| North East | Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees |
| Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland | Regulated instead by the national healthcare inspectorates, HIW in Wales, HIS in Scotland and RQIA in Northern Ireland |
This list is a guide and not a substitute for asking. Powers change, and some authorities apply them differently from their neighbours. Before you commit to premises, telephone the licensing team at your own council and ask two questions: do we need a special treatment licence for laser and IPL, and do your conditions require an Expert Medical Practitioner. Get the answer in writing.
If your council does not hold these powers, you are not off the hook. Your obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010 and BS EN 60825 apply everywhere, and your insurer will ask for the same documents whether or not a licence is involved.
Different rules again, and the reason clinics there struggle to buy
Outside England there is no council licence. Instead the clinic itself is registered and inspected by a national healthcare inspectorate, and the standard of documentation they expect is higher, not lower. This is where most machines on the market fall down, and it is the most common reason a clinic in Cardiff or Glasgow cannot find a laser it is allowed to buy.
What an inspector actually asks to see
In all three nations the inspection turns on documents. These are the ones that concern the machine itself, and they are the ones we supply with every machine we supply.
- The notified body certificate, naming the body and its number
- Evidence of device registration and who the UK Responsible Person is
- The manufacturer conformity documentation
- The classification, Class 4 to BS EN 60825-1
- Full instructions for use in English, not a brochure
- Wavelengths, maximum output and pulse parameters for eyewear specification
- Compliance with BS EN 60601-2-22 for the laser
- Test reports and the technical file for your LPA
One distinction worth knowing, because sellers blur it. HIW, HIS and RQIA register the clinic, not the machine. No laser is HIW registered or HIS approved, and anybody telling you otherwise is misleading you. What the machine needs is a complete and accurate documentation pack so that your registration can succeed.
That is the whole difficulty. Plenty of machines are sold in the United Kingdom at attractive prices with a certificate that turns out to cover electrical safety rather than medical device conformity, with a manual that is really a sales brochure, or with no named UK Responsible Person at all. A clinic in Wales or Scotland often only discovers the gap when the inspector asks, by which point they own the machine.
We send the documentation pack before you buy, not after. If you are registering with HIW, HIS or RQIA, ask and we will email the certificates, the registration confirmation, the test reports and the instructions for use, so that you or your adviser can check them against your application before you spend anything.
It remembers four thousand clients
The AL1 is a portable machine, which usually means a stripped back interface. It is not. The manufacturer specification lists a client parameter database, sixteen languages and a shot counter, and for a clinic with more than one operator that matters more than any headline figure.
- Live display of water flow, water temperature, capacitance and photon power
- Shot counter, so you always know what the lamp has done
- Audible alarms for water temperature and water flow, each with a defined check to run
- Key switch with two keys supplied, emergency stop and foot pedal
Taken from the manufacturer user manual for the AL1. If you want the manual before you buy, ask and we will send it.
Buying direct from the factory
Clinics are sometimes offered a similar machine directly from China at a lower headline price. On this device the difference is unusually stark, because we are not just the supplier, we are the UK Responsible Person.
Through Skintastic
Included in the price
- We are the named UK Responsible Person for this device
- Engineer installation, calibration and PAT testing
- Ofqual regulated qualification pathway and Core of Knowledge
- Twelve months of named Laser Protection Adviser support
- Bespoke local rules written for your premises
- Eighteen month UK warranty, twelve months on emitting parts
- UK engineer servicing, spares and consumables held here
- FCA regulated finance
Direct from the factory
What lands on you instead
- You become the importer of record, and you are the one the MHRA comes to
- You must hold the technical documentation yourself
- You must produce the certificate for your insurer, your LPA and your council
- In a London borough they ask before granting your special treatment licence
- You must satisfy yourself the exact model is on the notified body certificate
- No UK warranty and no UK engineer
- A fault means shipping a handpiece to Beijing at your cost, and waiting
- No training, no local rules and no LPA
A device imported directly from the manufacturer carries none of the first column, and the purchaser themselves takes on the legal obligations of the importer under the UK Medical Devices Regulations.
We are not saying this to protect a margin. We are saying it because we have spent this year sorting out exactly these problems for clinics who bought elsewhere, and it is far harder to fix afterwards than to get right at the start.
Supplied inside a recognised governance framework
Every machine we supply comes with training at our Southampton academy. On the AL1 that is Laser Core of Knowledge, the laser safety training written to the MHRA syllabus, together with CPD training in every treatment the machine performs.
That training is CPD certificated. CPD and Ofqual regulated are not the same thing, and we would rather tell you which one you are getting than blur the two. If you want a nationally regulated qualification in tattoo removal, you can upgrade the tattoo removal element to the Ofqual regulated Level 5 Diploma in Tattoo Removal for an upgrade fee of £999 including VAT when you buy the machine.
You do not need the Level 4 Laser and IPL qualification first. The entry requirement for the Level 5 is a regulated Level 3 in anatomy and physiology. If you already hold one, you can go straight on to the Level 5. If you do not, we can provide the regulated Level 3 alongside it. Level 4 remains available in its own right where an insurer or a council asks for it.
Meet the team
Built on laser expertise, and committed to your success. When you buy a medical device from us you are buying the people who answer for it afterwards, and on this device that is literally true.
Carla Cooper-Gale
Managing Director
Over fifteen years of specialist laser experience, with more than 7,500 students trained. Carla is the named UK Responsible Person to the MHRA for this device, and she handles the regulatory side of every sale personally.
- Medical device compliance
- Assessor
- IQA
- Level 5 DET
Brenda West
Internal Quality Assurer
A retired senior nurse with decades of clinical experience, Brenda maintains the standards of training, assessment and the award of qualifications. She is the reason our training holds up when an awarding body looks at it.
- Senior nurse, retired
- IQA
Dr Godfrey Town, PhD
Laser Protection Adviser
A Registered Laser Protection Technologist and Medical Physicist with a PhD in laser physics, and decades of experience advising clinical and research environments on laser safety. Every system we supply sits inside his governance framework.
- PhD laser physics
- Registered LPA
- Medical physicist
Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company 11028743, registered office 26 The Avenue, Southampton SO17 1XL. VAT 368 8599 17. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference 964293. We act as a credit broker, not a lender. Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies Ltd is the UK Responsible Person for the Beijing Kes devices.
Buy the AL1 online
Both builds are in stock and can be bought or reserved online. Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna and Clearpay are all accepted at checkout, and FCA regulated business finance is available.
Pay for it out of what it earns
Most clinics finance rather than buy outright, and the AL1 is available on business equipment finance over two, three, four or five years. Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies Ltd is FCA authorised, firm reference 964293. We act as a credit broker, not a lender, and we take no commission from the lender.
Finance is subject to status and to lender approval. Arranged through Kennet Equipment Leasing Ltd, who work with a panel of lenders. Please send the completed enquiry form back to us on WhatsApp rather than by email. It carries your date of birth, your home address, your property and mortgage details and your consent to a credit search. Email is not encrypted and leaves a copy of the attachment on every mail server it passes through. WhatsApp is encrypted end to end and goes straight to a phone. If you would rather not use WhatsApp, ring us on 02381 946394 and we will arrange another way.
Talk to us before you buy
We would rather spend twenty minutes working out whether the single rod or the double rod is right for your list than sell you the wrong one. WhatsApp is quickest.
