A survey was undertaken regarding the extent to which optical radiation is used incosmetic treatments and the compliance with national regulations. Questionnaires weresent to 65 clinics, and 23 of these were later inspected. Only one of 41 class 4 lasers hadbeen reported to the authorities according to the regulations prior to the survey. Amongsources other than lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL) sources were the most frequent.Although qualified health personnel should be in charge of the treatment, it was observedthat 30% of the clinics did not fulfil this requirement. Deviations with respect to personneltraining, availability of written procedures, protective equipment and warning signs werefrequently observed. The results give rise to concern about the safety of patients andemployees.