Light and Laser Vascular Therapy Training Course
Thread veins, broken capillaries, rosacea and facial redness. Treating vascular blemishes with IPL, SHR and the 980nm diode laser, and knowing which ones to leave alone.
About this course
Spider veins and thread veins, medically telangiectasia, are small dilated blood vessels near the surface of the skin. This course covers treating them, along with rosacea, broken capillaries, fine capillary damage and reddened skin from sun damage. You also learn to recognise port wine stains, haemangiomas, venous lakes and varicose veins, so that you refer them rather than treat them.
Filtered wide spectrum light from the handpiece penetrates the skin using both light and heat energy, and is absorbed by the oxyhaemoglobin in the vessel. The heat is designed to coagulate the vessel, and the treated vessel is then gradually reabsorbed by the body. Results vary from person to person, and more than one session is usually needed.
You will also cover the 980nm diode laser, where the wavelength is selectively absorbed by haemoglobin, the energy converts to heat, and the treatment is designed to coagulate and close the vessel so the body can clear it naturally.
Just as important is knowing what not to treat. Spider veins in the upper thigh may be related to underlying venous reflux, which is a matter for a vascular surgeon, not for you.
- IPL, SHR and 980nm diode covered
- Thread veins, rosacea, broken capillaries and redness
- The mechanism, oxyhaemoglobin and coagulation
- Patch testing protocol with the correct waiting times
- Recording your own machine parameters
- Full health and safety and legislation section
- Skin type, medical, consent and aftercare forms
- Honest claims, never guaranteeing a result
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Health and safety and your legal duties | Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, COSHH, the Trade Descriptions Acts, the Consumer Rights Act 2015, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and special treatment licensing |
| Laser safety | Working safely with laser and IPL, eye protection and Local Rules |
| What causes vascular blemishes | Heredity, weight, hormonal influences in pregnancy, puberty and menopause, the pill, family history of blood clots, and occupations that involve long periods standing |
| What can be treated | Telangiectasia, spider veins, rosacea, broken capillaries and sun damage redness |
| What must be referred | Port wine stains, infantile haemangiomas, venous lakes, varicose and reticular veins, and leg veins in the upper thigh that may indicate underlying venous reflux, which needs a vascular surgeon |
| How IPL and SHR treat vascular | Absorption by oxyhaemoglobin, thermal coagulation of the vessel, and reabsorption by the body |
| The 980nm diode laser | Selective absorption by haemoglobin, vessel closure, machine overview, setting up the device and treatment parameters |
| Patch testing | 48 to 72 hours for skin types 1 to 3, and 10 to 14 days for skin type 4 and above, because delayed reactions are more common with darker melanin |
| Results and expectations | The body clears a treated vessel over about four to six weeks. Four sessions four weeks apart is a reasonable expectation to quote, within the three to six sessions your device manual allows. Results vary |
| Client forms and aftercare | Skin type forms, medical forms, consent forms, client medication advice and aftercare forms |
What you get
Hardback workbook
An interactive hardback manual and workbook is sent out when you book. You work through it, complete the questions, and keep it as a reference in your clinic.
Online resources
Online learning to work alongside the manual, so you can go over anything as many times as you need before you come in.
Practical training
Face to face at our academy on The Avenue in Southampton, on live models under supervision, with all client forms included for your own clinic.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Name the vessels of the skin and explain where each vascular lesion sits
- Identify the common vascular lesions on sight, and say which you would treat and which you would refer
- Explain how filtered light destroys a vessel and leaves the skin around it intact
- Choose a cut-off filter, fluence and pulse structure for a given lesion and skin type, and justify it
- Carry out a full consultation, patch test and consent process
- Deliver a treatment to the correct endpoint and recognise when to stop
- Recognise and manage a complication, and know who to refer to
Duration and delivery
Eight hours of guided learning in one day at our Southampton academy: about four hours of theory, three hours twenty minutes of demonstration and supervised practical on live models across both the IPL and the 980nm diode laser, and thirty five minutes of assessment and feedback. Breaks are extra and are not counted.
Full entry requirements
As well as Level 3 Anatomy and Physiology and a Core of Knowledge certificate, you need a Level 3 beauty therapy qualification, healthcare registration or equivalent experience, and you must be 18 or over. Before treating clients you need device specific training on your own IPL and 980nm diode, and insurance that names vascular treatment.
From our clinic
Photographs from our own clinic and academy in Southampton. Clients shown with their consent. Individual results vary.
How you are assessed
Assessment is by written questions on the theory, followed by supervised practical work on live models.
You record the suggested parameters for your own machine, carry out a patch test with the correct waiting time for the skin type in front of you, and demonstrate a full treatment under supervision.
A large part of the assessment is your consultation and your honesty about outcomes. Never oversell this treatment and never guarantee a result. Every client’s imperfection is different and there is no set answer as to whether it will work for them.
- Written theory questions
- Machine parameter record
- Patch test with correct waiting time
- Supervised treatment on a live model
- Consultation and honest claims assessed
Before you book
Entry requirements. A Level 3 qualification in Anatomy and Physiology, and a Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge certificate.
If you are missing either, you can take them with us first. Level 3 Anatomy and Physiology and Laser and IPL Core of Knowledge.
Insurance. Most insurers want to see an existing beauty or aesthetics qualification alongside a CPD certificate before they will cover you for this treatment.
If you are not sure whether your qualifications and your policy will cover you, message us on WhatsApp before you book and we will check it with you.
Accreditation
Skintastic Aesthetic Lasers Ltd is an approved provider with The CPD Group, number 777800, which anyone can verify at thecpdregister.com. This course is accredited as the Laser and Light Vascular Therapy CPD Course, activity number 1021413, carrying 8 CPD credits. The accreditation runs to 16 September 2029.
The rest of the picture
Book your place
Message us on WhatsApp for the next available dates and the current price, and we will confirm exactly where the accreditation stands before you commit to anything.
