Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Marketers claiming or implying that lasers can cure acne have been found to breach the Code.
In 2005, the ASA investigated a complaint about an ad that stated “NLite is the breakthrough in the treatment of acne that the world has been waiting for … The NLite-V pulsed dye laser is the world’s leading laser for treating acne …”. The advertiser cited a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that had been published in the Lancet. The study investigated the effects of the NLite laser treatment on subjects with mild to moderate facial inflammatory acne vulgaris only. The ASA concluded that, although the results of the Lancet study were promising, more work was needed to confirm the clinical benefit for all sufferers. Furthermore, the ASA ruled that the advertiser had not proved that NLite was more effective than other types of treatments or represented a “breakthrough”.
After investigating claims about an ad for another pulsed-dye laser, the ASA told the marketer not to imply that the treatment could cure acne. Although it did not accept that the treatment would be permanently effective in all patients or was suitable for all forms of acne, the ASA acknowledged that the advertiser’s evidence showed laser treatment could have some effect on facial inflammatory acne.
Subject to the quality of their evidence, marketers may claim that pulsed-dye laser skin treatments could help improve certain types of acne but should not imply that laser treatment can provide permanent results or cure all types of acne and should avoid making comparative claims or “breakthrough” type claims unless they hold rigorous evidence to support them (Rule 12.1).
CAP understands that users of some lasers (for example, 3b, 4 and Intense Pulse Light Source) generally need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (www.cqc.org.uk). Marketers should ensure that they do not promote the use of lasers by unqualified technicians.
Last modified : 26 July 2010