Prior Approval for Laser Treatment

Funding will be found (subject to prior approval) for patients with the following circumstances and meeting one of the following criteria:

• Port wine stains located on the face and neck.
• Haemangiomas / vascular birth marks located on the face and neck in the opinion of an appropriate medical specialist, is unlikely to resolve without treatment and for which the long-term cosmetic benefits of treatment are considered to outweigh any longterm cosmetic risks of treatment

Funding will also be available in the following circumstances (for which prior approval should be sought before referral AND before any treatment is commenced):

• Haemangiomas / vascular malformations on the face or on any other part of the body causing significant functional problems (not only cosmetic concerns) for which, in the opinion of an appropriate medical specialist, laser treatment is considered to be the most suitable treatment option. (The application for prior approval must provide evidence of effectiveness of the proposed treatment.)

The treatment of pilonidal sinus is not considered cosmetic and will be funded subject to prior approval

Non funded laser treatment

Laser treatment of other skin conditions for cosmetic reasons is not normally funded including:

• Removal of hair from any part of the body or face
• Removal of spider angiomata
• Removal of telangiectasias
• Rosacea
• Hidradenitis suppurativa
• Any other skin conditions

Commissioning considerations

In all cases, before final approval for treatment can be given, a treatment plan must be submitted by the provider of laser therapy to indicate the maximum number of treatment sessions (and cost) that will be required to achieve a predicted level of result which would be acceptable to the patient (or patient’s parent in the case of a young child).

The treatment provider is responsible for ensuring that patient and parent expectations are realistic at the time of obtaining consent for the treatment.

Once the agreed maximum number of funded treatment sessions has been reached, funding for any additional sessions required to achieve an acceptable result would be expected to be met by the treatment provider.