Radiation in beauty care
Many aesthetic or cosmetic treatments are based on treating the skin or body with radiation. Radiation is used, for example, to remove tattoos or body hair, to fade skin imperfections and to reshape the body by removing fat or cellulite.
In beauty care, the body can be treated with optical radiation, radiofrequency radiation and ultrasound. Optical radiation includes visible light as well as laser, ultraviolet and infrared radiation.
Service providers and clients should be aware of the risks associated with the use of radiation. In this context more is not always better, as too much radiation can cause all kinds of unintended damage and harm. Damage can include skin burns and scarring. There may also be temporary or permanent changes in skin pigmentation. Temporary damage can take up to months to improve and may require medical assistance to fully heal. It is not always even possible to repair the damage. For example, unintended exposure of an unprotected eye to a beam of powerful laser light can cause irreparable damage to the retina.
Contrary to what is sometimes thought, the feeling of pain is not a sign that the treatment is working. Often, the sensation of pain is the first indication that tissue damage may be imminent. However, sometimes the sensation of pain does not necessarily occur. Some treatments target the most intense radiation to subcutaneous tissues where there are no nerves to sense the pain. In this case, any damage and associated pain may only become apparent in the days following the treatment. Some treatments may also expose the skin for such a short time that there is no time to react to the pain. The risks are also increased if local anesthetics or cooling of the skin is used to prevent the sensation of pain during treatment.
Many treatments can be carried out safely by a skilled cosmetologist. However, for more complex procedures, medical professionals should be consulted. Some procedures require the use of radiation so intense that they can only be performed in a healthcare unit. An example of a demanding procedure is tattoo removal with a high-powered laser.
When asked about any contraindications, the client must be open and answer truthfully as various medications and illnesses can have a significant impact on the skin's or body's ability to tolerate exposure to radiation. During pregnancy, all treatments should be avoided if there are any doubts about the safety of the fetus.
The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) supervises the safe use of radiation in beauty care. STUK does not take a position on the efficacy, effectiveness or results of treatments.
Tattoo removal uses a powerful laser and only a Class 4 laser can fade tattoos. Class 4 lasers produce such intense radiation that permanent damage to the skin can occur and therefore their use in skin treatments is restricted to healthcare units. Therefore, if you are considering tattoo removal with a laser, medical professionals should be consulted instead of beauty care services. The use of high-powered laser equipment also carries a risk of permanent eye damage, as the radiation from a Class 4 laser on unprotected eye causes immediate and often permanent damage to vision.
In addition to traditional methods (depilation, waxing, sugaring), lasers and intense pulsed light devices (IPLs) are also used for hair removal. When using lasers, successful hair removal requires the use of a Class 4 device. Class 4 lasers may only be used for skin treatment in healthcare units, so laser hair removal should only be carried out by healthcare professionals. Class 4 lasers have such a high radiant intensity that skin damage is possible. Skin damage can be burns or more permanent damage such as scarring. On unprotected eye, the radiation from a Class 4 laser causes immediate and often permanent damage to vision.
There is also risk of burns when IPL devices are used for hair removal. Especially when treating dark skin, a large amount of energy may be absorbed by the skin, causing burns. Similarly, other dark areas of the skin (moles, tattoos) absorb more radiation, causing pronounced heating in the surrounding tissues. If done incorrectly, permanent changes in skin pigmentation, such as patchy darkening or lightening of the skin, are possible undesirable consequences of an IPL treatment.
The skin can be treated using several different techniques.
Lasers are used to improve the appearance of the skin, for example by exfoliating the topmost layer of the skin. Using excessively powerful laser can result in skin damage. Lasers belonging to safety Class 4 may only be used for skin treatment in healthcare units. The same restriction also applies to treatments in which the laser beam is targeted on a cosmetic product applied to the skin instead of bare skin, such as the carbon solution used in carbon or Hollywood peels.
Radio frequency (RF) devices are used to stimulate subcutaneous parts of the skin. The aim is usually to rejuvenate the appearance of the skin. In an RF treatment, a large amount of electromagnetic energy is directed on the skin. The absorption of RF radiation by the skin and subcutaneous tissues varies, so carrying out the treatment requires precision. Excessive exposure can result in stinging and reddening of the skin and, in the worst case, even deep burns. Damage may occur below the surface layers of the skin, making it difficult to detect, and immediate sensation of pain may not occur at all.
Ultrasound is used to stimulate subcutaneous body parts with the intention of improving skin elasticity. Ultrasound can also be used to cleanse the skin. When using ultrasound, care should be taken to avoid targeting the bones, as powerful ultrasound can cause damage to them. It is also difficult to predict how ultrasound will be reflected at the interfaces between the different layers of the skin. In particular, the use of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) devices carries a risk of tissue damage because most of the ultrasound energy is being focused on a very small area.
The eye is a particularly vulnerable to ultrasound exposure. For this reason, care must be taken to avoid directing ultrasound to the eye when applying ultrasound to the facial area. Ultrasound may also enter the eye indirectly, for example by conduction through the bones of the skull. In addition, ultrasound treatments of the face must consider the thinness of the fat layer of the face, which may cause the energy to be distributed unevenly.
Intense pulsed light devices produce a strong, short-duration light pulse or series of light pulses on the skin. The aim of skin treatment may be to remove pigmentation, treat acne or otherwise improve the appearance of the skin. A single light pulse can deliver a large amount of energy to a small area of the skin, resulting in, for example, a burn or changes in pigmentation.
In beauty care, radiation can also be used to try to reshape the body. The aim is usually to directly affect adipose tissue or cellulite.
When laser radiation is used to remove fat, this is usually referred to as a lipo-laser treatment. In this case, a relatively low-intensity laser beam is applied to fat cells, purportedly causing them to break down and the material released from them to be metabolically removed from the body.
Fat or cellulite removal can also be performed using radiofrequency devices. In this case, the fatty tissue is heated by electric currents generated in the body by the radiofrequency device, which should reduce the volume of the tissue and thus slim the body. The devices that affect adipose tissue cannot be very low powered, which increases the risks associated with the procedures. If the device is too powerful, there is a risk of excessive tissue heating and burns.
Cavitation treatments aim to break the subcutaneous fat layer by means of the cavitation effect caused by ultrasound. During the treatment, the ultrasound causes rapid pressure changes in the target area, forming small gas bubbles in the interstitial fluid between the fat cells. As the pressure changes continue, the bubbles collapse, causing ruptures in the walls of the fat cells. The material released from the fat cells should eventually leave the body through normal metabolism. Achieving a cavitation effect in adipose tissue requires the application of relatively high levels of ultrasound energy to the tissues, which also increases the risks of the treatment.
The ultrasound used in cavitation treatments can penetrate up to tens of centimeters into the body, so there is also a risk of exposure to the bones, internal organs and, in pregnant women, the fetus. Because of the risks to the fetus, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority consider that ultrasound treatments should not be performed during pregnancy. In addition, the substances bound to the fat layer, if released at once, could pose a risk to the health of the person being treated, breastfeeding children or the fetus.
Ultrasound treatments in beauty care should not be confused with medical ultrasound examinations that are used for cancer screening and fetal screening, among other things. These examinations are completely safe and do not harm the health of the patient or the fetus.
In the event of an accident
If an injury occurs or is suspected to have occurred during a cosmetic treatment, you should contact your healthcare provider to assess the nature of the injury and whether medical treatment is required.
In the event of injury due to a beauty treatment, the Consumer Advisory Services provide advice if no satisfactory solution can be found between the customer and the service provider to compensate for the damages.
STUK would like to be notified of accidents and suspected non-compliant beauty care services. Notifications can be sent via email to stuk (at) stuk.fi.
Patient injury notices concerning healthcare are handled by the Patient Insurance Centre.