Doing this properly since 2011
One of my companies supplies the machines. The other teaches the qualifications and runs the clinic. Both are mine, both work out of The Avenue, and both answer to a regulator: the MHRA for the devices, Ofqual for the qualifications.
- Laser and IPL qualified since 2013
- Delivering training since 2015
- Ofqual assessor and IQA qualified since 2023
- Supplying medical devices since 2017
Carla Cooper-Gale
Carla was treating clients with lasers long before she was selling them. She took her BMLA approved Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge in 2013 and started delivering training in 2015. She did not begin supplying medical devices until 2017, by which point she had spent four years using them on real skin. In 2023 she qualified as an Ofqual assessor and internal quality assurer. Most aesthetic suppliers are salespeople. Carla is an assessor, an internal quality assurer and a qualified educator who also imports and sells the equipment. The person selling you a machine is the same person who has to justify it to a regulator, teach it to a Level 5 standard, and treat clients on it herself.
Qualifications and roles
- Internal Quality Assurer (IQA): responsible for the quality of assessment across the academy
- Lead Assessor: assessing learners against regulated national standards
- Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training: the full teaching qualification, not a train-the-trainer certificate
- UK Responsible Person (UKRP): the named legal person to the MHRA for imported medical devices
- Managing Director and founder: sole director of both companies
Why that combination matters
A supplier who is not an assessor cannot tell you whether your training is worth anything. A trainer who is not a UKRP cannot tell you whether your machine is legally on the market. A person who does neither in clinic cannot tell you how the machine actually behaves on skin.
All three, one person.
If something goes wrong with a device, the UKRP is the person the MHRA comes to. That responsibility sits with Carla personally, which is why the documentation on our machines is chased until it is right.
The qualifications behind the claims
Every one of these is issued by a recognised awarding organisation and sits on the regulated qualifications framework. Certificates are held at 26 The Avenue and can be produced on request.
Ofqual regulated qualifications
| Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training (DET)Focus Awards |
| Level 5 Diploma in Tattoo Removal (RQF)Focus Awards |
| Level 4 Award in Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment (IQA)Focus Awards |
| Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational AchievementFocus Awards |
| Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET)Focus Awards |
| Level 4 Award in Facial Anatomy and Physiology (RQF)Focus Awards |
| Level 4 Certificate in Laser and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) TreatmentsVTCT |
| Level 4 Award in Core of Knowledge for Laser and Light DevicesITEC |
| Level 4 Certificate in Radio Frequency: MeritITEC |
| Level 4 Certificate in Ultrasound Cavitation TreatmentsProQual |
| Level 3 Award in Basic Life Support and Management of AnaphylaxisQualifi |
| Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at WorkQualifi |
| Level 3 BTEC National Diploma in Health and Social CareEdexcel |
Registrations and memberships
- UK Responsible Person for medical devices with the MHRA
- Full member, British Medical Laser Association (2026–27)
- Registered with the ICO for data protection, ZA468421
- UK registered trade marks: SKINTASTIC® (UK00003760635, classes 3, 5, 10, 35, 41 and 44) and Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies® (UK00003295766, class 10)
- FCA authorised for credit broking, firm reference 964293
- Accredited CPD training provider: The CPD Accreditation Group, centre 777800
- ARAP registered CPD training provider
- Honourable Member, British Group of Professional Beauty Therapists
Alongside these, Carla holds forty-plus CPD accredited and manufacturer training certificates across laser, IPL, body contouring and injectable treatments.
Forty-plus courses behind the qualifications
Ofqual qualifications are the floor, not the ceiling. Alongside them Carla holds CPD accredited and manufacturer training across every technology we sell, teach and treat with.
Laser, IPL and light
- BMLA approved Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge
- Laser tattoo removal, Q-switched Nd:YAG
- Carbon laser peel
- Laser hair removal: diode, alexandrite, Nd:YAG and IPL
- SHR and IPL
- Laser lipolysis
- Nd:YAG laser nail fungal treatment
- CO₂ fractional laser resurfacing
- Endolifting fibre laser
- LED light therapy
- Advanced laser tattoo removal for permanent make up
Body contouring and skin
- Ultrasound cavitation, Grade 4 lipolysis
- Radiofrequency and E-Light
- HI-EMT high intensity electromagnetic technology
- Cryotherapy fat freezing
- Cold plasma
- HIFU in aesthetic practice
- Microneedling and dermal roller
- Oxygen and no-needle infusion systems
Injectables and clinical safety
- Foundation botulinum toxin
- Foundation dermal fillers
- Complications and medical emergencies for injectables
- Lidocaine infusion and pain management
- Fat dissolving injections
- Vitamin and biotin injections
- Skin boosters
Certificates for all of the above are held on file at 26 The Avenue and can be produced on request.
Three parts, one business
They are deliberately connected. The academy teaches on the machines we sell. The clinic treats on the machines we sell. Nothing reaches a customer that we have not used ourselves.
Machines and consumables
Laser, IPL, radiofrequency and body contouring systems, supplied with installation, training and ongoing technical support from Southampton. We also supply the consumables, so you are not chasing three suppliers to keep a room running.
Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies Ltd · FCA authorised for equipment finance introductions
Ofqual regulated academy
Focus Awards qualifications from Level 3 to Level 5, sitting on the regulated qualifications framework, plus CPD accredited practical courses. Assessed and quality assured in house by a qualified IQA and assessor.
Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd · Focus Awards centre
Treatment clinic
A working non-surgical clinic running laser hair removal, tattoo removal, skin rejuvenation and body contouring on the same equipment we sell and teach. Students train on live treatments, not mannequins.
Open by appointment · 26 The Avenue, Southampton
One address on The Avenue
Our clinic, showroom and training academy are not three units on an industrial estate. They are one substantial property on The Avenue in Southampton, laid out so you can see a machine, be treated on it and be assessed on it in the same visit.
- A full showroom with the machine range set up and powered
- Treatment rooms in daily clinical use
- Training rooms for practical assessment and portfolio work
- Free video demonstrations if you cannot travel to us
26 The Avenue
Southampton
SO17 1XL
Everything we hold, in one place
Anyone can print a certificate. Every item below is issued by a body that can take it away, and every one can be checked by you before you buy anything from us or book onto a course.
Medical device regulation
- UK Responsible Person: Carla Cooper-Gale is the named UKRP to the MHRA for imported medical devices
- MHRA registered: devices are registered before they are placed on the Great Britain market
- ISO 13485: our manufacturers hold ISO 13485 quality management certification for medical devices
- Documentation on file: declarations of conformity and instructions for use held for every device we supply
Regulated qualifications
- Ofqual regulated Focus Awards qualifications, on the national framework
- Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training: the full teaching qualification
- Level 4 Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment: IQA
- Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement: assessor
- Thirteen Ofqual qualifications in total: see the full list
Accredited training provider
- The CPD Accreditation Group: accredited provider, centre number 777800
- ARAP: registered CPD training provider
- OCN Credit4Learning: approved provider
- Forty-plus CPD courses held personally: see them all
Professional membership
- Full member, British Medical Laser Association: the UK professional body for medical and aesthetic laser practice, member ID 1082
- Honourable Member, British Group of Professional Beauty Therapists
- BMLA approved Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge, certificate 01254
Insurance and client data
- Medical malpractice, professional and public liability insurance, £1,000,000 limit of indemnity, arranged through Insync Insurance
- Registered with the ICO for data protection, reference ZA468421
- Level 3 Basic Life Support and Management of Anaphylaxis
- Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work
Business and brand
- FCA authorised for credit broking, firm reference 964293
- VAT registered: GB 368 8599 17
- SKINTASTIC®: UK registered trade mark UK00003760635
- Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies®: UK registered trade mark UK00003295766
- Two limited companies: 11028743 and 15949505, both directed by Carla
Certificates and policy documents are held at 26 The Avenue, Southampton, and can be produced on request. Insurance and time-limited awards are renewed as they fall due. We are not able to show client records or student files, for obvious reasons.
TWO Companies, ONE Director
Supply and training are deliberately kept in separate companies: the business that sells you a device should not be the same legal entity that awards you the qualification to use it. Carla Cooper-Gale is the sole director of both.
Skintastic Aesthetic Supplies Ltd
Laser and IPL devices, consumables and equipment finance.
- Registered in England and Wales11028743
- VAT registration numberGB 368 8599 17
- FCA firm reference number964293
- Role with the MHRAUK Responsible Person
Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd
Treatment clinic, accredited training and regulated qualifications.
- Registered in England and Wales15949505
- QualificationsFocus Awards, Ofqual regulated
- Practical coursesCPD accredited
- MembershipBritish Medical Laser Association
Both companies are registered at 26 The Avenue, Southampton, SO17 1XL. Carla Cooper-Gale is the sole director of each.
What you can expect from us
We tell you what a machine is not
If a system is a cosmetic device rather than a medical device, we say so on the page. If a wavelength will not clear a particular tattoo ink, we say that too. You cannot build a clinic on optimistic sales copy.
We do not sell you the wrong course
If you already hold a Level 4, we will not sell you another one. If you need the Level 3 Anatomy and Physiology first, we will tell you before you pay, not after.
We support what we sell
Technical support comes from Southampton, from people who use the machines. Warranty and aftercare terms are confirmed in writing before you commit to anything.
Come and see for yourself
Book a visit to The Avenue, or ask for a free video demonstration if you are the other end of the country. Either way you will be talking to the person who owns the business, not a call centre.
