The owner of a San Luis Obispo cosmetic laser procedure center and day spa that abruptly closed last week was arrested Friday on suspicion of practicing medicine without a license and felony grand theft.

Some legislators say the situation underscores the push for better oversight and training for laser procedures, such as hair removal and varicose vein treatments.

Centers performing such procedures are not regulated, so it’s unclear how many there are in San Luis Obispo County. But nationwide, such nonsurgical cosmetic procedures are on the rise. More than 1.5 million people went under a laser for treatments in 2005, up 11 percent from 2004, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Investigators spent Friday morning sifting through possible evidence at the Central Coast Laser Center, hours before Jeff Lemoine of Arroyo Grande, who owns the center and SLO Med Spa on Pacific Street, was arrested and booked into County Jail.

Only physicians or registered nurses and physician assistants working under the supervision of a doctor can operate a laser. Lemoine had been licensed as a vocational nurse and a psychiatric technician, but those licenses expired in 2004 and 1997, respectively, said Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the state Department of Consumer Affairs.

"We never questioned papers or degrees on the wall," said Barbara Cowell of Atascadero, a former employee of SLO Med Spa. "We never even looked at the names of the school."

A former patient from San Luis Obispo, who asked to remain anonymous to keep her procedure private, said she received burns to her legs during a procedure performed by Lemoine to remove spider veins. She also has about $200 in gift certificates for the center. Some spa packages are paid in full prior to procedures, possibly leaving some clients having paid for services never received.

Lemoine declined to comment earlier this week after the centers’ closures, referring calls to his San Luis Obispo attorney, Jeff Stein, who also declined to comment. The business’s former medical director, Philip Barr, declined to comment and referred calls to his Santa Maria attorney, William Okerblom, who said Barr is not under investigation. Barr purchased a legal ad in The Tribune last week and claimed he was not affiliated with the laser center.

Situations such as the one involving SLO Med Spa are part of the reason why state Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, authored legislation to protect constituents who called her with stories about being burned at laser centers.

Senate Bill 1423 is intended to require training for all medical professionals using lasers and tighten supervision by physicians of registered nurses and physician assistants.

"We had constituents who had been badly burned by cosmetologists doing laser procedures, which they are not allowed to do," said Robin Hartley, a consultant for Figueroa. "There were instances where nurses and doctors who are authorized to do the procedures didn’t have the necessary training and background."

All doctors, nurses and physician assistants must have their appropriate licenses, but no special training is mandated beyond that, according to state Medical Board officials.

"That is not uncommon," said state board spokeswoman Candis Cohen. "There is no special training for Botox administration or microdermabrasion or liposuction, etcetera."

Regulations require that supervising physicians be immediately accessible, though it can be by phone or e-mail, have written protocols for procedures and review records periodically.

Figueroa calls those regulations cloudy - and the kind that create "ghost doctors" who get licensed in the state, attach their name to a spa or laser clinic, then leave the city, the county, the state and sometimes the country.

State medical board officials said they receive about 10 complaints a year regarding problems with laser procedures but noted that not all people go through the process of filing complaints.

Paso Robles physician Joseph Bettencourt, co-owner of M.D. Spa and Laser, said he would support mandatory training and testing on lasers but does not believe a physician needs to oversee each procedure, calling such oversight unnecessary and unrealistic.

He said his staff attends day-long laser training and performs procedures with a physician until they are qualified to perform them on their own. In addition, a physician is in the office about 90 percent of the time.

Dr. Grace Kim-Abroms, owner of Rejuvenation Medical Skincare & Laser in San Luis Obispo, has been treating some clients from Central Coast Laser Center, one of whom she said had been burned.

"It’s extremely rare to have any burns," Kim-Abroms said, though she advises patients to make sure a physician is available at whatever center they choose.

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