Laser and IPL · burns · managing expectations
Professional indemnity – Skin therapist
Skin therapy works with energy and acids on visible tissue. If it goes wrong, the result stays visible and the discussion is immediately about scarring and pigment.
- Several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Beroepsaansprakelijkheid – Huidtherapeut.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
As a skin therapist you are an an Article 34 profession under the Wet BIG: a protected qualification title, with a field of expertise you cannot stretch with impunity. Your treatments fall under the treatment agreement in Article 7:446 of the Dutch Civil Code and under the standard of good care provision in Article 7:453 DCC. The claims that follow are very concrete: a second-degree burn after laser hair removal, hypo- or hyperpigmentation on a darker skin type, scarring after a peel that went too deep, an eye injury because the protective goggles slipped.
That is injury arising from professional practice. An ordinary public and employers' liability insurance specifically excludes loss resulting from the treatment itself. It covers the mirror that comes loose, not the laser pulse. You need cover that includes both injury and financial loss arising from professional practice, as described under the liability insurance for care and welfare.
The second type of claim is less tangible. A client who expected to be rid of her acne scars and is not demands the cost of the course of treatment back. In law your obligation is a best-efforts obligation, not an obligation to achieve a result — unless you promised a result in your quotation or on your website. In that case you have accepted liability by contract, and that is precisely what is excluded on the policy.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare professional indemnity insurance (BAV).
Risks of this profession
Four points at which things come unstuck for a self-employed skin therapist.
Equipment, settings and maintenance
For laser and IPL equipment, insurers set conditions: CE marking, periodic maintenance, valid training and a recorded test protocol. If you treat with a device that does not meet those requirements, or that you have not declared, the insurer can reduce or refuse payment under Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code for an incorrect statement when applying.
Intake, skin type and medication
A missed contraindication is the most common cause of harm: isotretinoin, photosensitising medication, recent sun exposure, an unknown skin type or pregnancy. Article 7:448 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to inform the client about the risks and Article 7:450 of the Dutch Civil Code requires consent. Record the intake, the test treatment and the risk discussed; Article 7:454 DCC requires you to keep records.
Cosmetic or therapeutic
Some policies contain a limitation or exclusion for purely cosmetic treatments, or apply a higher excess to them. If, alongside oedema and scar therapy, you also do hair removal, injectables or camouflage, state the split in turnover. An exclusion you have not noticed here hits precisely the part of your practice that generates the most complaints.
What the policy does not pay out
Outside the cover are: dissatisfaction with an aesthetic result without injury, refunding your own fee or a free repeat treatment, fines and disciplinary sanctions, and loss caused by intent or wilful recklessness under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. Clients' property in your keeping also falls under the care, custody and control exclusion.
What does your premium depend on?
- Annual turnover: on which the insurer sets the rate
- Treatments using light or energy: laser, IPL and radiofrequency weigh the most heavily
- Chemical peels and acid concentrations: the depth of the peel determines the risk of injury
- Share of cosmetic treatments: often rated differently from therapeutic care
- Sum insured and excess: per claim and per insurance year
- Sale of skincare products: brings product liability into play
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV |
|---|---|---|
| A client is left with a second-degree burn after a laser treatment | No | Yes |
| Permanent hyperpigmentation develops on a darker skin type after a series of IPL treatments | No | Yes |
| Alongside oedema and scar therapy you also use injectables and a client suffers harm from them | No | Provided that |
| A client trips over the footrest of the treatment chair in your room | Yes | No |
| The glasses a client leaves with you during the treatment are broken | No | No |
| A client demands the cost of the whole course back because her acne scars have not gone | No | No |
Some policies contain a limitation for purely cosmetic work, precisely where most complaints come from.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
A client is left with a pigment spot after an IPL treatment. Is that covered?
If it concerns demonstrable injury resulting from your treatment, it falls under professional liability cover that includes injury. The insurer will check whether you determined the skin type correctly, carried out a test patch and discussed the risks. If that is missing from the file, the discussion about your care becomes considerably harder.
I also sell skincare products in my practice. Is that included?
Not automatically. Loss caused by a product supplied is a separate section: product liability. An allergic reaction to a cream you resell does not simply fall under your professional cover. Report the sales when you apply, even if they are a small part of turnover, and ask for express confirmation.
What if the client ignores the aftercare instructions?
Then contributory fault within the meaning of Article 6:101 of the Dutch Civil Code comes into play and the compensation can be reduced or lost altogether. That only works if you can show that the instruction was given. So give aftercare instructions in writing or digitally and note this in the file; verbal explanations are virtually impossible to prove afterwards.
Does my cover continue if I stop or switch insurers?
Only with a run-off period. The cover is claims-made: what counts is when the claim is notified, not when you treated. Skin complaints sometimes only become visible months later, so run-off cover for several years is no luxury in this profession. Report every claim as soon as you know of it. That follows from Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Read more
Within Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekeringthe main page
- Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering optometrist zzp
- Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering fysiotherapeut zzp
- Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering psycholoog zzp
- Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering huidtherapie praktijk
- Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering kraamverzorgende zzp
- Beroepsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering tandarts zzp
Similar pages
- Professional indemnity insurance (BAV) for a self-employed optometrist
- Professional indemnity – Physiotherapist
- Professional indemnity – Skin therapy practice
- Professional indemnity insurance (BAV) for a chiropractic practice
- Professional indemnity – Dentist
- Professional indemnity insurance (BAV) for a dietitian
- Professional indemnity insurance (BAV) for a self-employed psychologist
- Professional indemnity – Occupational therapy practice