Technician FAQs

Whether you are certified as a Foundation Technician or as an Advanced Technician, you will be trained to exacting standards in all aspects of PlasmaPen™ pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment. Every highly-vetted technician successfully trained by the expert team here at PlasmaPen Ltd leaves us as an official PlasmaPen™ artist and technician who is fully qualified in the theory, science, technique, treatment, and aftercare involved in using our PlasmaPen™ device, methodology, and technique for non-surgical blepharoplasty, fibroblasting, skin-lifting, rejuvenation, and soft-surgery plasma sublimation. We also certify the purchase of an official German Manufactured and CE Certified PlasmaPen™ by PlasmaPen Ltd and provide a full warranty.

Our Foundation Technician course is the first course you will attend and, once completed, you leave fully qualified, certified, and completely capable of professionally delivering PlasmaPen™ treatments – especially those relating to the upper facial, midfacial, and lower facial areas (which constitute the bulk of treatment for most technicians – see available treatments).

At your own discretion – and when the time is right for you – then you may choose to complete our Advanced Technician course and be re-certified accordingly. Among many elements and additional modules; this advanced course involves a much deeper dive into all of the science and theory behind our PlasmaPen™ treatment and technique plus we focus a great deal on the more complex, more challenging, more high-value, and/or niche treatments such as progressive facelifts, stomachs, arms etc.

Our Advanced Technicians all adhere to the highest possible standards across their own business and, in return, are usually able to charge a premium for their treatments/services. Outside of promotions and offers, we expect all our Advanced Technicians to maintain price integrity and not over-commoditize PlasmaPen™ treatments – they are supposed to be the best and not the cheapest. All Advanced Technicians provide us with ongoing examples of their work/portfolio so we can continually assess, validate and provide feedback to them (we encourage our Foundation Technicians to do the same).

You can get in touch with us in a variety of ways below. We are always happy to help and will be delighted to just have a friendly, no-obligation chat with you at your convenience and/or invite you in to one of our academies for a free taster session:

• Phone: (UK) +44 (0)1704 579 800, (USA) +1 540 210 6750
• Email: training@plasmapenuk.com
• Web: www.plasmapenuk.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/PlasmaPenOfficial
• Twitter: twitter.com/PlasmaPen
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/LouiseWalshOfficial

Address: Global HQ & Flagship Training Academy, 42-46 Station Road, Ainsdale, Southport, United Kingdom PR8 3HW

The absolute very best. The Rolls Royce of Plasma.

Firstly, you get full and comprehensive training and certification from the best in the world and, where relevant, that will be either as a Foundation Technician or Advanced Technician.

You will of course get the German manufactured and CE Certified PlasmaPen™ device itself – which comes with a full manufacturer’s warranty – and a luxury kit which contains a PlasmaPen™ dock, aftercare products and the relevant, UL Certified plug for your country. We also supply you with all the branded collateral you will need to provide professional and insured treatments including Aftercare Sheets, Consent Forms, Contraindications and Consultation Forms. We can also supply you with bespoke sales and marketing collateral.

All new technicians may take advantage of one free treatment for themselves during their training.

Finally you join a bustling and worldwide PlasmaPen™ community who collaborate across all areas of best practice and technique. We are the biggest, brightest, best and the most active across social media and are famed for our almost 24/7 one-to-one support. We really do our level best to be on hand for you, online and offline, to answer any questions or challenges you have. We also push a lot of business directly through to our Technicians, Agents and Distributors and this is something we continue to ramp-up.

Why not ask us about our Business In A Box sales and marketing solution if you’re really keen to supercharge your own operation commercially and even feature heavily on our website and elsewhere?

Technically there’s no limit – especially since our PlasmaPen™ is so incredibly ergonomic, easy, and rapid to use. With PlasmaPen™ you’ll find treating clients far less taxing than you would with any other device. But we do stress that your last treatment of the day should always be delivered at the same high standard as your first treatment of the day so never over-extend yourself. Some treatments may take you 30 minutes, others may take you a couple of hours – it all depends on what procedures you are performing, the depth and length of your pre and post consultations, and a number of other factors so be sure to manage your time – and your client’s time – effectively.

You are/will be insured for the treatment and not the device (which is a good thing). We maintain excellent relationships with all the other major insurance providers, and we can help you get covered in this area.

We can now even insure you directly since one of the major insurers backs us so strongly that they are happy to insure anyone who has been trained and qualified by PlasmaPen Ltd and who has purchased and uses an official PlasmaPen™. That said, we don’t just let anyone become a technician – we vet all prospective technicians heavily before they attend our training. We work closely with all the major insurers to help root out the proliferation of imitation devices which are often miss-sold as delivering plasma treatment.

Remember that insurance is ultimately your own responsibility once you have completed your training and are ready to perform PlasmaPen™ treatments. You must never treat anyone without being insured. Although this is your liability as we say, we do reserve the right to withdraw certification and/or inhibit the sale of probes from any technician who is found to be ignoring their professional training by performing uninsured treatments. It’s neither ethical or legal.

No! PlasmaPen™ is a highly sought-after, in-demand, and en-vogue treatment and should not be over-commercialised with our device, especially when considering the many expensive treatments out there which are often grossly inferior to ours or at least incomparable. Price integrity among our technicians is important and is something we cover in-depth during your training. We appreciate that our technicians make a considerable financial and time investment in us so we have a whole training module on PlasmaPen™ commercialization which is designed to help you enjoy a rapid return on your investment. We supply you with full pricing guidelines during your training for virtually ever type of PlasmaPen™ procedure and we work closely with you during and after your training to help you build the very best treatment plans for your clients which deliver them value for money in line with the incredible results they enjoy.

The fact is that pricing your own PlasmaPen™ treatment can be a fine art. It depends on a number of unique factors – not least the value of your own time, your personal experience/reputation, your level of skill, your overheads, the established market prices of our treatment versus other comparable/available treatments. You have to consider the value of the stunning results possible with PlasmaPen™ and also the amount of time, effort and money that you decide to invest in so as to deliver highly detailed consultations, the best aftercare, professional follow-up and well-devised and well-executed treatment plans. Even factors like your geographic location, whether you are mobile or you have a high-end clinic, other complementary services you provide and indeed the level of competition within your area and client demographics all need to be considered. This can only be balanced by you but, uniquely, we can and do offer advice and support as we are the global experts in this field.

Some treatments provide instant results and can be performed in isolation. Other procedures are more cumulative in terms of achieving optimal effects over a course of treatments. Some procedures are complementary to each other and ideal to package up together in conjunction parallel to other treatments and you may choose to offer them at a discounted/group rate. We will workshop all of this with you during your training.

It is not about being the cheapest. It is about being the best. Our technicians have the world’s best plasma device. They get the best training and support. They are offering the solution to savvy clients who want the best demand by name. They’ve invested in the best. Our experience is that the most commercially successful PlasmaPen™ technicians are not those who try to undercut other providers, especially those with grossly inferior devices, but those who instead deliver their clients added value and enhanced services. They deliver more detailed consultations and they create innovative treatment plans, they take their time with their clients, they deliver the best pre-treatment and post-treatment advice and product, they offer free follow-ups (an ideal opportunity to book further treatments) and they provide increased value to those many clients who recommend a friend and/or give them testimonials and case studies they can then showcase to generate even more new business.

As discussed, we will provide you with detailed price guidelines during your training but they are exactly that – guidelines. Your own creativity and your own commercial skill will dictate how best you decide to interpret those price guidelines and adapt them to suit you, your business, and your clientele. Special offers and reasonable levels of discounting are fine, especially as you build your portfolio and gain experience in the wide range of treatments possible with PlasmaPen™. We do strongly encourage you though to just back yourself as professionals and sell your services for a fair market value. No other provider works as closely with their technicians as we do in terms of showing you the art of the possible, helping you set fair commercial values for your work/time, and even push new business through to you. Many of our hard working Elite Technicians enjoy very lucrative monthly incomes, some less so – it all depends on your own personal availability, drive, commercial ability and expectations, you will ultimately get out what you put in. For some technicians, PlasmaPen™ is a full time business for them and they solely focus on it. For others, it can be more of a cottage industry that they fit around other things going on in their lives. Different again are those offering PlasmaPen™ as part of their overall toolkit within a studio, spa, clinic, surgery or salon.

Please see our Why PlasmaPen™ page on this website to get a feel for the most popular PlasmaPen™ procedures.

Nokia used to be the best mobile phone and the market leader. You could even play Snake on it! Then Apple came along and they changed the game entirely. That didn’t make Nokia bad – you could still send texts, make calls, use the internet etc. but it’s just a fact that Apple really tapped into what the market actually wanted and needed. Their device was well devised and better designed, it was sleek and ergonomic, it was significantly better made and it responded far better to what the networks and users wanted. It allowed people to do more, faster, easier, better and in a more enjoyable way. It delivered results and everything they did was geared towards quality. PlasmaPen™ is the equivalent of Apple in this regard and, when you’re trained by PlasmaPen Ltd, it’s like Steve Jobs personally showing you how to use your iPhone!

Come see us and PlasmaPen™ for yourself at a free taster session. We’ll let you see everything for yourself, without obligation. You are welcome to come and see the difference between our PlasmaPen™ and other devices too. Come and meet Louise, meet the team, meet the trainers, see live treatments in action and even audit our training, support and infrastructure. We’re probably unique in doing this because we’re 100% confident that you’ll come back, book your own training with us and purchase our device. That’s simply what happens time and time over. Why eat luncheon meat when you can eat steak?

• Fibroblasts are found in connective tissue throughout our body and are a vital part of our Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM).
• Fibroblasts are activated by chemical signals sent as part of our body’s inflammatory response when tissue becomes injured and/or experiences trauma.
• Fibroblasts proliferate and migrate to the wound where, most applicably, they secrete and deposit Type 3 Collagen at the site of the wound.
• This helps repair damaged tissue as part of the body’s natural wound healing process.
• In simple terms, Fibroblasts are ultimately activated as a consequence of trauma and/or inflammation.

Fibroblasts are found in the dermal layer of the skin. Our dermis consists of a network of Type I Collagen fibres, Elastin fibres and Hyaluronic Acid which are all secreted by the fibroblasts present there and, together, they create the Extracellular Matrix (ECM).

The function of fibroblasts is to then begin to deposit Type 3 Collagen at the site of the wound as this allows it to commence the healing process. Granulation begins when the fibroblasts produce a new ExtraCellular Matrix (ECM) and this developing ECM consists of Type 3 Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Elastin and Myofibroblasts.

Over the next 12 weeks, the weaker Type 3 Collagen is replaced by tougher Type 1 Collagen and it is the final stage of wound healing, when collagen is remodelled from Type 3 to Type 1 and the wound fully closes.

Fibroblasts are of crucial importance to tissue repair. Our dermis consists of a network of Type I Collagen fibres, Elastin fibres and Hyaluronic Acid, all of which are secreted by fibroblasts. Together they form the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) – a vital part of our skin’s structure.

• You could take a traditional nursing route, bringing practical and academic skills into the aesthetics industry
• If you are already working in the beauty space, there are many nationally recognized NVQ courses that can expand your skillset in the aesthetics field
• There are opportunities to work in a clinic or spa with an NVQ Level 3 in Beauty Therapy

Aesthetics is a broad church and there are several routes into it as a career depending on the field and specialty. Some enter the industry via a traditional nursing route, usually after three years of general nursing experience, and, in doing so, they bring tremendous levels of transferable, practical, and academic knowledge and experience with them.

Others who are already working in the beauty space often go down the route of completing industry recognized courses and qualifications., Clinics and spas will almost always, for safety, legal and insurance purposes, require a practitioner to have the minimum qualifications in some form of Beauty Therapy from a recognized provider.

They’ll generally also expect a practitioner to have completed other recognized and fully accredited aesthetics training courses in line with the type of treatments and disciplines that their clinic or spa offers such as PlasmaPen™, laser, chemabrasion or microneedling.

The range and the scope of courses and certifications that the individual has completed, balanced against their level of practical work experience, usually has a direct impact on their overall remuneration and hireability.

One of the most in-demand and lucrative treatments with aesthetic businesses and their customers right now is PlasmaPen™ and fully recognized Level 3 and Level 4 training and accreditation is available from PlasmaPen Ltd and this is clearly a great qualification and service offering to add to any aesthetic practitioner’s portfolio.

Our opinion is that the market largely falls into 3 areas.

First, there are the large medical grade devices which, in many cases, are great and some of them, Plexr for example, have been around for a long time. We’re fans. They generally operate in a different market space to us and some even compliment our own device and can be used in tandem in certain scenarios. They are usually very expensive though, are frequently enormous in size, tend to have gigantic probes and are primarily aimed at cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists etc. They can be imprecise and difficult to use/master and the patient may need to be ‘earthed’ plus have to endure what may be very intense and quite traumatic treatments. The ‘spots’ created by their plasma blasts can be very large and significant training and assistance may be required to use and master them. Their key feature is often the ability to perform skin rejuvenation work, albeit in a fairly ablative way – a little like laser treatment – but in a quick way since much less precision is needed and they can just spray the outer layer of the skin quickly. Some of them deliver very high intensity, very taxing treatments too which is fine if you are a surgeon who is able to medically prescribe and reverse/repair any hyperpigmentation or damage retrospectively but that is certainly not ideal for aestheticians, etc. and indeed most of the market, in our opinion. Many of the same cosmetic surgeons and medical professionals come directly to us now anyway as you will see in our testimonials.

Next, there are the raft of fakes, copies, clones and questionable devices out there which you may have seen for sale online. These are often just cheap plastic spot pens sold as one thing when they are in fact something else quite different. Truth is you can buy a cheap device from China for a fraction of the price of ours but they’re not PlasmaPen™ and there’s significant risk and danger in this for patients and providers alike. Whether you purchase our own PlasmaPen™ device or not – we strongly urge you to completely avoid this dangerous option as it is not only unprofessional but probably uninsurable. It could be critical to your reputation, may potentially be physically harmful to your clients, and, ultimately, is just not what savvy end-customers want anyway. You wouldn’t use a blowtorch to deliver laser eye surgery and it is commercially self-sabotaging. If you’re looking to use rogue devices and perform backstreet procedures then we’re clearly not a good fit for each other. While it is theoretically possible, if you see claims that something like a tattoo can be removed with a plasma device then it is a suspect claim. Plasma is an advanced aesthetics procedure designed largely for skin tightening, skin lifting and rejuvenation so if you’re a professional outfit then there’s really no need to try and claim it does all sorts of weird and wonderful things.

Finally, there are a number of well-established and generally good devices out there. They mostly do a reasonable job when they work. Their training is usually okay and sometimes great. Using those pens should deliver results which many clients will be happy with, at least in the absence of seeing the results which are possible with PlasmaPen™. They may even cost less than PlasmaPen™ so please do check them out – we actually have many of these devices here and are happy to show you the tangible and often dramatic differences between ours and theirs, in person, during your training or even on a completely free taster session. Some devices are better than others so just come see us and make your own informed decision.

First and foremost, only ever used an approved PlasmaPen™ device by PlasmaPen Ltd.

After each treatment, some swelling or redness may occur and this is completely normal but is certainly not to be confused with actual hyper-pigmentation. The skin type of every client is different and the healing process may, in very rare cases, lead to some skin discoloration, usually of a very minor nature. Ordinarily, this should/would only ever occur due to the exposure of the area to UV radiation during the long-term healing process (or perhaps an adverse healing reaction by the client). It will not be due to the device and will unlikely ever be caused by the way the treatment has been administered by a trained technician. Most often, it is simply a result of poor aftercare or a pre-existing contraindication that the client may have failed to divulge or has been ignored. Yet another reason why all technicians must complete all the appropriate consultation paperwork and take before and after pictures each time.

In general, everyone should use SPF5O sun protection on a day-to-day basis but all PlasmaPen™ clients should certainly use it for at least 12 to 20 weeks from once the skin has healed (several days after the initial treatment) as part of their aftercare regime. Microdermabrasion, laser skin rejuvenation, chemical peeling or other relevant treatment or prescription medication (perhaps containing Hydroquinone for example) may be advisable after the healing process is complete should hyper-pigmentation ever be the case. Asking the client to take a high dose of Vitamin C supplements over the course of the healing process could give their immune system a big boost (which in turn can not just help them to repair but prevent hyperpigmentation). The use of citrus juice, aloe vera and even soy are often cited as good ingredients for preventing hyperpigmentation.

Ultimately, follow your expert training by us, perform thorough consultations and deliver treatments to the exceptional standards which you will be trained to. You and your clients should then not experience any problems in this area. It is always better to under-treat than over-treat and you must never treat a client above Skin Type III on the Fitzpatrick scale outside of very specific treatments we offer/train you on (we sell very accurate electronic skin testing devices for an economical price – visit our Store for more information and to buy). Make yourself aware of any and all contraindications during your pre-consultation and familiarise yourself fully with the client’s medical history.

Our overarching advice is to work gently, use only the appropriate techniques, rhythms, and lengths of the pulse shown/taught in your practical training, deliver the correct intensity treatments for what treatment is required, only ever use an authorized and official PlasmaPen™ device by PlasmaPen Ltd, advise the client in depth on all the appropriate aftercare measures we recommend, ensure their aftercare regime is followed diligently and take the time to see/speak to them post-treatment. Ideally, leave 2 to 4 month windows between treatments on the exact same area (sometimes it can be less depending on the area treated and how it was treated).

Many of the providers offering training don’t actually have their own device manufactured (or are perhaps at best selling white-label devices manufactured by others, sometimes by us). This is often why some of them charge more and/or stretch out the length and depth of their training over an extended (and sometimes unnecessary) period of time as they obviously need to justify their increased costs to you. Good luck and fair play to them – training is probably their main revenue source and not the device. For us it is the other way around. If this is the case and the focus/cost is largely based on the actual training then that’s brilliant but we would still advise you to exercise caution and think twice before then being pushed into buying a particular device that they probably get a commission on. If you feel you are being press-ganged into buying a device that you’re not comfortable with then you should ask questions. Equally, if you’re approached to get trained and be handed some odd looking plastic device or to become some kind of “Master Trainer” ahead of suddenly being asked to hand out thousands of pounds for the privilege then this alone should ring major alarm bells. We pay our Master Trainers – they don’t pay us!

Ultimately, this is all a relatively simple device, procedure and technique to learn. We provide Elite Technician training and Advanced Master Technician training but our primary training alone, all underpinned by a great deal of interaction with you technicians before and after the course, is more than enough for 90% of technicians. In effect, when you tally up all the pre-training that we deliver in advance of our full day intensive Elite Technician training course and you then marry that up with the considerable follow-up provided in the short, medium and long term then we know that our training is about the most comprehensive there is. As you’ll see in our testimonials, we’re always on the end of a phone or social media message.

Possibly – it depends on who you have been trained by and for what specific device. There are some really poor and/or fake devices and poorer trainers out there so, as the market leader and domain authority in this field, we may not always recognise them and we perform significant vetting and due diligence on anyone who wishes to be an Elite Technician for PlasmaPen™ by PlasmaPen Ltd since we have a 26 year reputation and global brand to protect. We are very different from most providers in the sense that we have little or no interest in profiting from our training. We have our own device manufactured which we distribute globally and we are the brand that is the dominant force in this market so for us, our training is delivered to you at cost or less because it’s just commercially sensible for us to do so. We’re in the business of selling the world’s best fibroblasting device, not selling training sessions.

Generally, as long as you have valid certification for a quality device from a training provider that we recognise then we do not believe that you should then have to pay any extra to receive PlasmaPen™ certification from us. If your original training was any good then it should have been in many ways device agnostic (meaning you should primarily have been trained in the science and treatment and not just the device). All you are doing in that case is stepping-up to a far superior device so we don’t want to penalise you for that – instead we want to reward you and your clients for making a smart decision. Most training delivered elsewhere is a derivative of PlasmaPen Ltd’s training and content anyway since we are the pioneers in this field and we literally wrote the book on it. It’s usually our own best practice, training and thought leadership that’s frequently cloned and regurgitated by others – which is annoying but also quite flattering and par for the course!

If you have had competent training and are using a valid, known device then we will, generally, be happy to provide you with free refresher training when you upgrade to PlasmaPen™. The techniques, treatments and procedures have all been significantly extended with our PlasmaPen™ device so it’s absolutely worth your while to take advantage of that. As long as we are comfortable with the validity and scope of your original training, that we see evidence of it and that you can prove it was completed within a reasonable period of recency then we should be able to immediately certify you as a PlasmaPen™ technician when you buy our device, subject to discussion. You may even wish to just use your previous experience and go straight for Master Technician status with us.

Yes we have several options available by visiting our Finance page. We work closely with finance companies in the UK, US and Australia. Another option, (although this does require a 20% deposit) is the Go Cardless payment plan, payable over 12 months, interest free and which is basically a direct debit via your bank account. This option is international and available in most countries.

Firstly, that’s an interesting turn of phrase since many pens are only that – “light” pens and are not actually true PlasmaPens™. Some of them are quite shocking to be frank.

Whether you’re looking to step-up to PlasmaPen™ from another device or you are just moving into this space anew, we are happy to invite anyone to a completely free taster session where you can personally audit our PlasmaPen™, training, live treatments and even our team and infrastructure. We’ll show you everything for free and without any obligation – including competitive devices. When we launched, we invited over 100 expert technicians to make an unbiased choice between purchasing PlasmaPen™ and the device of our nearest competitor – for the exact same price. 100% of them chose PlasmaPen™ by PlasmaPen Ltd. 100%. That’s incredible product validation.

PlasmaPen Ltd fully released its PlasmaPen™ in November 2017 and we emphatically believe – as do hundreds of expert aestheticians, clinicians, cosmetic surgeons and other beauty and spa gurus from all over the globe – that it is by far the world’s most advanced plasma device. Just look at the testimonials page on this website! We are already the clear market leader and the unwavering feedback is that our device is superior to anything else on the market because of its stunning innovations, its many ingenious features and all the other major advances which are simply not available elsewhere, in combination, including:

• Lightweight, ergonomic and intelligent design making it much easier, faster and comfortable to use than alternatives
• The most efficient, reliable, consistent, precise and effective delivery of plasma
• Tiny 0.4mm probes which underpin super-precision treatment and which significantly extend the scope of what treatments/results are possible
• Unique screw-in probes with zero wastage that can be bent, adapted and directed at will to empower technicians with the ability to perform the most meticulous procedures
• CE Certified pen developed, designed and built exclusively for PlasmaPen Ltd in Germany.
• A PlasmaPen™ that has finally been devised, created and pre-calibrated from the ground up with technicians in mind.
• No rush to market – we have tested every element of the device to destruction and given significant thought to every single area of its aesthetic and ergonomic design from its weight in your hand, the position of the plasma delivery button, how the button feels to depress and even to how it can simply be plugged in directly from anywhere in the world without the need for a converter. Our pen is ‘plug and play’ wherever you are
• Zero failures and zero fault issues thanks to high-quality German manufacturing and robust testing. All our devices come with a full manufacturer’s warranty regardless
• Dramatically improved client procedures due to the more rapid, more precise and more elaborate treatment afforded by smaller ‘spots’, superior techniques and spectacular plasma delivery
• As a technician, using PlasmaPen™ is much easier (and faster) due to its design and this is better for clients as they enjoy quicker and less painful treatments.
• Not tiring or cumbersome to use like some other devices can be – why would you want to work for hours on end using a device the size of a large kettle? You won’t hear of anyone getting electric shocks from our device either – even our plugs are UL Certified so you don’t have to use a converter with PlasmaPen™ as that is where faults can lie with other devices
• Shorter patient downtimes, faster recovery, and improved results in the short, medium, and long term – all demonstrated time and time again across thousands of treatments
• All the world-class training, global infrastructure, and customer-centric support you expect from Louise Walsh and PlasmaPen Ltd – the domain expert in this field
• UK based businesses with global reach who are able to offer and arrange finance, lease, rental, insurance, and many other vital commercial options to all new technicians

We’ll do the “Pepsi Challenge” with any other device. The differences are chalk and cheese but our prices are actually highly competitive, especially when you get direct in-country support, finance options, and even direct insurance where required.

Yes. Absolutely. We already have numerous agents, distributors and master trainers around the world – some exclusive, some non-exclusive. We’re always happy to consider new territories, new options and new alternatives. We have built a number of highly innovative remuneration models too which help our partners really flex their capital and enjoy stunning financial returns. We support all our partners heavily, wherever they are, and we are always happy to discuss our ideas – and yours – with you. Please get in touch with us to discuss things as we’re certain you’ll love what we have to say.

Potentially. We are often asked by distributors, chains of clinics/spas, and plastic surgeon groups if we can provide our PlasmaPen™ to them under their own branding and this is something we have done when enough pens are purchased from us (we would never do it for a small volume) and where there is no absolutely competitive crossover. We always offer economies of scale and significant value-adds for major purchases and white labelling is indeed something we can discuss with you if it is of interest along with a lot of other exciting options. As long as we complement each other, there is no commoditization, and that technicians and clients enjoy the same exacting standards of quality, service, and results that we demand then we’re always happy to listen to your ideas. Contact us if this is something you’d like to know more about.

Absolutely not – at least not on your face or neck. PlasmaPen™ reserves the right to cease trade with any technician found to be performing treatments on their own face as it is dangerous and ill-advised. With our device you do not actually touch the skin with our probe so even with the best will, lighting, mirrors etc. it is virtually impossible to perform safe and effective treatment on your own face to a safe standard since it is very difficult to judge distance correctly and to work with precision.

Remember that when you join us you’re joining a huge global community of technicians who support and empower each other. Local technicians often treat each other for free or at cost, especially while they build their portfolio. You’ll meet some incredible and like minded people on your training and you’ll have a lot of fun!

Yes. We offer every new technician one free treatment for themselves during their training. We know this is very important to new technicians because it’s of course easier to be evangelical about a treatment and explain how it feels to a client when you’ve actually had treatment yourself. You are the best example you could ever provide.

If you were to ever visit us as a model, pay for a treatment and then later become a technician – we would simply deduct what you paid for one treatment, at the model rate you paid, from your purchase of our PlasmaPen™ device/training.

All new technicians are welcome to bring along models with them, perhaps friends or family members, and they will also get the model rate that we charge on training days. While many providers will only show you a demo of their device, with us you will actually carry out live, real-world treatments yourself during your training with us on models, under our close supervision and support.

Our branded PlasmaPen Ltd Silver Colloidal Gel with Aloe Vera is an over the counter product that does not require a prescription. It is a transparent jelly that stays on the skin much longer than it would in liquid form. It is odourless, it does not stain and it is a powerful and natural anti-bacterial/anti-viral product where the two main active ingredients (colloidal silver and aloe vera) work in tandem to soothe inflamed skin and then heal it fast. This is why we now recommend it as part of the patient aftercare regime.

Aloe vera is known for its ability to regenerate cells, increase oxygen flow and stimulate fibroblasts which aid the production of collagen. It is a natural moisturiser and is a soothing and calming gel that promotes skin healing. This element of our ingredients is very important as the aloe vera leaf used contains over 75 nutrients, 20 minerals, 12 vitamins, 18 amino acids and around 200 active enzymes all of which provide tremendous benefits – most importantly the ability to speed up the recovery of skin wounds and underpin the stimulation of cellular growth and rejuvenation. The aloe vera in our colloidal gel also has a powerful antioxidant effect.

Colloidal silver is basically nano-sized particles of pure silver which are suspended in highly purified water. Silver ions possess antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties and they help stimulate cell regeneration, promote healing and gently fight bacterial, viral and fungal conditions without any side effects.

In our form, the gel is applied as a topical agent and is not to be ingested.

Once applied and left to quickly dry then our PlasmaPen Ltd Silver Colloidal Gel with Aloe Vera leaves a protective coating that’s designed to act as a barrier against infection. It helps speed up skin healing and these two primary active substances offer amazing skin protection benefits including tissue healing, anti-inflammatory properties, sun-protection, improved skin metabolism, increased moisture retention and also disinfectant properties.

Our product is supplied in special airless pump tubes so as to prevent any cross-contamination and oxygenation.

On the Fitzpatrick Skin Type Scale (The Fitzpatrick Skin Type is a skin classification system developed in 1975 by Thomas Fitzpatrick, MD, of Harvard Medical School), only skin types I, II and III can safely be treated with PlasmaPen™. Anything higher and you are risking hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation.

Some providers claim to be able to treat any skin type. This is generally untrue or at the very least misleading and is usually only because they are perhaps selling medical grade devices to cosmetic surgeons (who are then able to self-prescribe and fix any damage that they do) and/or because the treatments they are performing are merely “spray” rejuvenation only (i.e. they are not targeting the dermis and are only working on the epidermis).

The fact is that people with darker skins have melanocytes capable of making large amounts of melanin. When dark/black skin is injured (i.e. through the micro-trauma we create with PlasmaPen™), these melanocytes can hyperpigment or hypopigment. This is because a combination of the inflammatory response and ultraviolet causes the inflammation to disrupt the basal cell layer. Melanin pigment is then released but subsequently it can become trapped by macrophages in the papillary layer. Once the wound healing has been completed and the junction repaired then the melanin pigment granules can be caught within the dermal layer with no way of escape and this can cause pigmentation issues.

We will come onto how to determine skin types below but if someone is a borderline III/IV skin type then there are possibly some things you can do (such as the client using tyrosinase inhibitors in advance – you can see a good article on those here). A client who has perhaps spent time in the sun recently may perhaps present as darker than their true skin type really is so, in these instances, you should at least delay their procedure and encourage them to stay out of the sun in the meantime so that their skin returns to a treatable type in the area you are performing treatment. However, like any important contraindication, if there is any doubt about a treatment then you should not treat and if there is clear Indian or African ancestry then the chances are probably high that you will not be able to treat safely.

In terms of how to determine skin types then, firstly, you should buy an electronic skin type sensor from us. These are available to purchase in our Store. These should be used on the area being treated (after any make-up has been removed). This should give you an immediate and strong guide to their Skin Type.

We strongly recommend that all PlasmaPen™ Elite Technicians complete the following questionnaire with their clients in conjunction with their electronic skin sensor so as to accurately determine their skin tone. We use an enhanced questionnaire format that also accounts for recent sun exposure so our quiz measures three key components (i) their genetic disposition, (ii) their reaction to sun exposure and also (iii) their recent tanning habits.

Skin Types range from the very fair (Type I) to the very dark (Type VI).

So grab a piece of paper, keep score as you go along and get your client to answer all of the following questions honestly (you should keep this as a record and this questionnaire is available from us a free branded document from us for all our technicians):

PART ONE: GENETIC DISPOSITION

(1) What is your eye color?

Light blue, light gray or light green = 0

Blue, gray or green = 1

Hazel or light brown = 2

Dark brown = 3

Brownish black = 4

(2) What is your natural hair colour?

Red or light blonde = 0

Blonde = 1

Dark blonde or light brown = 2

Dark brown = 3

Black = 4

(3) What is your natural skin colour (i.e. before sun exposure)?

Ivory white = 0

Fair or pale = 1

Fair to beige, with golden undertone = 2

Olive or light brown = 3

Dark brown or black = 4

(4) How many freckles do you have on unexposed areas of your skin?

Many = 0

Several = 1

A few = 2

Very few = 3

None = 4

Total score for genetic disposition: _______

PART TWO: SUN EXPOSURE

(1) How does your skin/face respond to the sun?

Always burns, blisters and peels = 0

Often burns, blisters and peels = 1

Burns moderately = 2

Burns rarely, if at all = 3

Never burns = 4

(2) Does your skin tan?

Never – I always burn = 0

Seldom = 1

Sometimes = 2

Often = 3

Always = 4

(3) How deeply do you tan?

Not at all or very little = 0

Lightly = 1

Moderately = 2

Deeply = 3

My skin is naturally dark = 4

(4) How sensitive is your face to the sun?

Very sensitive = 0

Sensitive = 1

Normal = 2

Resistant = 3

Very resistant/Never had a problem = 4

Total score for reaction to sun exposure: _______

PART THREE: TANNING HABITS

(1) When did you last expose your body to sun / tanning cream / tanning injections / sunbeds?

More than 3 months ago = 0

2-3 months ago = 1

1-2 months ago = 2

Less than a month ago = 3

Less than 2 weeks ago = 4

(2) Did you expose the area you wish to be treated by PlasmaPen™ with to the sun?

No/Never = 0

Hardly = 1

Sometimes = 2

Often = 3

Always = 4

Total score for Tanning Habits: _______

TOTAL SCORE FOR PART ONE, PART TWO AND PART THREE: _________

Now correlate the above score to the following to determine their skin type:

Type I: 0 to 6 points (light, pale white)

Always burns easily, never tans.

Type II: 7 to 12 points (white, fair)

Always burns easily, tans minimally.

Type III: 13 to 18 points (medium white to olive)

Burns moderately, tans gradually.

Type IV: 19 to 24 points (olive, moderate brown)

Burns minimally, tans well.

Type V: 25 to 30 points (brown, dark brown)

Burns rarely, tans profusely.

Type VI: 31+ points (very dark brown to black, black)

Never burns, deep pigmentation.

Remember, you may only treat skin types I, II and III with PlasmaPen™.

In nature there are four states of matter – solids, liquids, gases and plasma. Matter only becomes plasma when enough energy is delivered to split the atoms into electrons and the output of this is a ‘plasma cloud’ of charged particles which consist of free radicals, positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons and molecules.

Our device creates an electrical discharge between two electrodes which are separated by an ‘insulating dielectric barrier’. As the charge collects on the surface of our dielectric barrier, it discharges as a flash of plasma within millionths of a second. An intelligent combination of the design of our device and its continuous direct energy source ionises the nitrogen and oxygen in the air to create a plasma gas which is then both sustained and continuous in line with the unique fingertip control and on-demand nature of our PlasmaPen™ device. Although we are creating collisions between molecules and causing the emission of energetic photons; the energy required to do this is actually minimal so our device is (and only needs to be) low-voltage. The plasma we create with our device transfers to the skin with absolute precision and does not harm any of the surrounding tissue.

The first and most immediate effect is delivered to the outer layer of the epidermis where we create external micro-trauma which helps immediately contract and tighten the skin. The next major effect is that the plasma simultaneously penetrates down into the fibroblasts which are contained deeper within the dermis below and, in doing so, we stimulate accelerated fibroblast division and migration, as well as encouraging neovascularization – the natural formation of new blood vessels and the release of growth factors. These growth factors include fibroblast growth factors, platelet-derived endothelial growth factors and cytokines. Cytokines are small proteins that are very important in cell signalling and which affect the behaviour of cells around them. They help modulate our immune response, they regulate cell maturation (aging) and quarterback the growth of new cells. They are particularly important in directing our bodies response to the inflammation trauma that we cause because they stimulate both cell repair and new cell reproduction.

The inflammatory response which occurs during the healing process that we promote also activates what are known as “M2 Macrophages”. Macrophages are white blood cells which engulf and digest cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes, cancer cells, and indeed anything else without proteins that are good for healthy cells. M2 macrophages decrease the inflammation we cause and encourage tissue regeneration and repair. We also stimulate the migration of basal keratinocytes up to the surface of the skin. Wounds to the skin are repaired, in part, by the migration of keratinocytes from the basal layer of the skin which then fill-in the gaps created by the micro-wounds we create. Within the healed epidermis they are, in turn, replaced by keratinocytes that originate from the epidermis.