This story is no longer valid.
When someone books in for a tinting procedure in our clinic or during school hours, the patch test plays an important role. While we understand this can be an inconvenience to some clients, overall, we are attempting to ensure their health and safety are looked after.
Just today, Stuff.co.nz had an article entitled “Beauty Therapist Left Clients Blistered”, talking about a therapist who didn’t bother performing patch tests before laser treatments to determine sensitivity. (As an aside, Intense Pulsed Light [IPL] and laser treatments should be undertaken by trained professionals, and a beauty therapist who wants to learn IPL needs to do this as a post-graduate course.)
In this article, a supposedly-qualified practitioner (trained in China, not New Zealand) burned at least two of his clients while practicing “medicinal beauty” using IPL hair removal treatments on them. These clients complained to the Health and Disability Commissioner about “develop[ing] redness, pain and blisters” after the treatment, and the Health and Disability Commissioner’s report stated, “because the skin test was not performed on either woman, the practitioner had failed to follow the required safety procedures.” (See Case Number 09HDC01350 for more information.)
It is very important to note that this person was not a member of the Association of New Zealand Beauty Therapists.
Updated on 22 March 2010: One woman shares her story about having her face burnt by IPL. See the story for pictures and more details.
Things can go horribly wrong with any treatment requiring a patch test. Indeed, a patch test does not indicate that an allergy or reaction cannot happen in the future (or even, sometimes, an indication that no reaction will occur when the treatment is given). What a patch test does do is determine whether or not a client is likely or very likely to have an adverse reaction to a treatment, such as lash or brow tinting, IPL or some heat treatments.
Even if you have had a patch test in the past, you may be required to undertake another patch test if you haven’t had a tinting (or other) treatment with us within the previous 4 to 6 weeks. Allergies and adverse reactions can occur at any given time, and, as with some foods and other possible allergens, just because a person didn’t have an allergic or adverse reaction weeks prior when they interacted with it, does not necessarily mean an allergy can’t crop up in the meantime.
Our policy at the National School of Aesthetics on patch testing is followed vigorously, and please know we do this for your health and safety. If you haven’t had a tinting or other type of treatment with us before, or if you have but haven’t had one within 4 to 6 weeks prior, and we ask you to come in for a patch test prior to the treatment, please know we are doing this to protect you: you are important to us!
Scott Fack is the Director of Operations for The National School of Aesthetics, the South Island’s leading beauty therapy, nail technology and spa therapies training provider.