Hair removal and skin rejuvenation devices are becoming increasingly popular in Europe and the US and major cosmetic and non-cosmetic multinational giants are starting to invest in a category the Society reckons is set to rake in billions of Euros.
The SCS's main concern with light-based devices is that current regulations permit them to be sold over-the-counter to consumers without any prescription like any other regular cosmetic.
“Although current professional laser and intense light safety standards provide a basic frame of reference for manufacturers, currently no specific published standards exist for home-use laser and intense pulsed light devices and it is unlikely that any such standard will be available before the end of 2013.”
They further noted that medical applications already include consumer LED treatment of acne and there are opportunities for such devices to be rented under physician supervision in the treatment of psoriasis and that progress in the segment will continue to expand far beyond existing demand for hair growth stimulation, hair removal and skin rejuvenation.
On the agenda
Scientists attending the meeting in the new year are said to be focusing on how Europe is tightening its regulations on providers of light-based therapy, how these regulations might impact the consumer market for at-home devices, a review of published efficacy and safety studies in peer-reviewed journals and the absence of long-term safety studies.
Also on the agenda, the SCS will look across the waters at how the FDA regulates the sale of consumer-use light-based products in the US and how it treats them as medical devices requiring pre-marketing clearance before they can go to market.
Although cosmetics devices are already a fairly established category in North America, market research company Kline Group earlier this year predicted that the category is set for significant growth, and also earmarked the European market as the next geographic area to take up the trend.