Hi all,
Were sorry for any confusion our post may have caused on Friday and just wanted to clarify again for you. We will not deny a potential insurance claim as long as you follow the points previously explained in our post, which are;
1. Carry out the patch test as outlined below:
We recommend that a skin patch test is carried out at minimum 24 hours before treating a client for the first time or as an additional precaution 48hrs for clients with diabetes or other special circumstances. We request that testing must re-occur if there has been a change in the clients medical history, a change in the treatment preparation (e.g. a new formula or different product), any hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menopause or if there has been a 12 month interval since the last treatment.
2. Always follow the specific manufacturers instructions
3. Get your client to sign a consultation form/record card to confirm that they have received a patch test and are happy to continue with treatment. Note: if your client has any allergic reaction to the patch test must not perform the treatment as any resulting claim would not be covered.
4. Ensure the client is given relevant aftercare instructions before and after the treatment and ask them to sign their record card to confirm that they have received these.
5. Ensure that you are following recent best practice guidelines as stated by BABTAC
With regards to point 2, the reason we have stated to follow manufacturers guidelines is that each will supply specific preparation and application instructions, pertinent to your insurance; these include application methods, quantities, preparation time, client preparation etc, which may be in addition to your previous training. With regards to patch tests specifically, it is likely that in their testing of the product, they may have discovered an ingredient or a potential issue which is why they suggest to test each time. We do not require a patch test before each as per the instructions above unless the maunfacturer stipulates it. In the case of spray tanning and eyelash perming, it is now included in the National Occupational Standards that a test should be done according to manufacturers instructions and individual organisation's requirements.
For clarification, we recommend that BABTAC members consult the Good Practice Guide 2013, which will be released shortly and will also be available on our website in the member's area.
The list of treatments that currently require a patch test are;
Eyelash and eyebrow tinting
Peel treatments
Lash extensions
Semi-permanent make-up
Laser & IPL
Eyelash perming - according to manufacturer's specifications and/or if as an organisation requires it
Spray tanning - according to manufacturer's specifications and/or if as an organisation requires it
As an aside, we have just spoken with the Department of Health and although they say they cannot categorically guarantee there have been no legislative changes in this arena, there is nothing that they are aware of at this stage. Those of you who have mentioned changes to legislation regarding patch tests can you please indicate where you have read this so that we can look into it further. At this stage, we have had no notification of these changes.
Hopefully this clarifies the stance.
Note: the patch test requirements outlined above are correct at 28 January 2013 in accordance with our current policy information. This information is subject to change should we change our policy, change our insurer or if new legislative guidelines are levied. Members will always be notified of relevant policy changes in advance and should always refer to the specific policy information distributed.
and worrying.
