Pearl Laser by a Technician?

Many are being done by a Technician. You should see a Board Certified Dermatologist or Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, and if they have a licensed provider RN, PA, FNP, and are comfortable with them doing your treatment, you should be under good care.

The laws in the U.S. vary greatly from state to state as to who may perform laser surgery. In general, state laws are becoming stricter because there has been so may bad outcomes and lawsuits involving cases where a patient was treated by a non-physician. Dermatologists study only the skin for 3 continuous years and are intimately familiar with the biology, physiology, and treatment of diseases of the skin. During residency training, many of us have performed thousands of laser... more

Buyer beware! In some states it may be legal for a non-physician to perform medical procedures, but even if it is legal, it is a poor decision to have a technician perform an ablative resurfacing. I would rethink any decision that involved a non-physician performing these types of procedures.

I concur with Dr. Katz. He is fortunate to practice in a state better regulated than Virginia. We in Virginia are beginning to see the folly of allowing unskilled and/or non-MD people use potentially scarring machines. I would opt to have an experienced physician perform your procedure, even if the cost is more. His advice regarding compilcations is pertinent. You want a physician who knows skin care and the healing process to be available were an untoward event occurs. Obviously, a... more