Pigmentation is one of the most common concerns clients bring to a clinic, and one of the easiest to get wrong. This CPD-accredited course goes well beyond technique: it teaches the science of melanin and phototypes, what causes each type of pigmentation, and how light, IPL and Q-switched Nd:YAG reduce it — so you can choose the right treatment and recognise when to stop.
Course structure
Part 1 — Safe and legal practice
- Health and safety and your legal duties
- UK regulations, laser safety and the Laser Protection Adviser
Part 2 — The science of skin and pigmentation
- The skin, the melanocyte and phototypes
- How pigment is made: melanogenesis and MSH
- Cellular damage, oxidative stress and ageing
- What causes pigmentation, and why
- The types of pigmentation, including post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
- Consultation, visual analysis and patch testing
Part 3 — Treatment
- How light, IPL and laser reduce pigment
- Treatment in practice, technique and protocol
- Clinical endpoints: normal versus stop
- Q-switched Nd:YAG treatment technique
- Treating darker skin types safely
- Aftercare, side effects and complications
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Explain what causes pigmentation and how light treatment fades it
- Identify which pigmented marks respond to treatment and which must be referred
- Carry out consultation, visual analysis and patch testing correctly
- Select and deliver IPL or Q-switched Nd:YAG treatment to protocol, and recognise clinical endpoints
- Adapt your approach for darker skin types
- Give appropriate aftercare and manage side effects and complications
What you take away
Your own student training manual and workbook with learning outcomes for every unit, activities, note-taking pages, short-answer questions, and client forms you can copy and use in your clinic.
Assessment and certification
Short-answer questions and practical assessment during the training day. On successful completion you receive a CPD-accredited certificate.
Course credits
12 CPD credits.
Please confirm with your own insurer that pigmentation reduction is covered on your policy before you book.
