The Conseil d'Etat, in a decision handed down in an order dated March 31, 2013, reiterated that the use of medical lasers, but also flash lamps or pulsed light devices, is the purview of doctors alone, and that only waxing or tweezing may be performed by non-physicians. This decision runs counter to the practice of most "low-cost" laser centers, which employ unqualified staff to perform laser hair removal procedures. Most of these centers continue this practice, and some have been administratively closed by the regional health agency. We welcome this decision, which reminds us that laser hair removal remains a medical procedure with its own indications and contraindications. It clearly and definitively prohibits the use of flash lamps by non-medical beauty salons. Lasers and flash lamps are powerful medical devices that can cause burns, with possible after-effects, particularly on darker skins. The question of delegating these sometimes repetitive procedures remains, but in the absence of an official laser technician diploma as exists in the United States, the only people authorized to assist doctors are state-qualified nurses or electroradiology technicians.
