Laser and energy-based systems are expensive, revenue-generating and well suited to asset finance. Paying cash for them rarely makes sense.
What we fund
- Laser hair removal and skin resurfacing systems
- IPL and broadband light
- Radiofrequency and microneedling platforms
- Body contouring and cryolipolysis
- HIFU and ultrasound systems
- Aesthetic imaging and skin analysis
- Treatment couches, sterilisation and clinic fit-out
This is finance for the clinic to acquire equipment. We do not arrange finance for patients to pay for treatment.
The economics
An energy-based system is a machine that generates revenue per treatment. The relevant question is not whether you can afford it but whether the monthly finance cost sits comfortably below the revenue it produces at a realistic utilisation.
Where it does, the equipment can pay for itself from early on, and paying cash simply converts a productive asset into a hole in your working capital. Where it does not, because utilisation assumptions are optimistic or the local market is saturated, that is worth discovering before signing, not after.
Build the model at conservative utilisation. If it works at that level, it works.
Hire purchase or lease
Hire purchase spreads the cost and you own the system at the end. It suits platforms with a long working life and applications that are not going out of fashion.
Leasing keeps you using the system without owning it. In aesthetics this matters more than in most sectors, because the technology moves and patient demand shifts towards newer modalities. Owning a five-year-old platform that patients no longer ask for is a worse position than having leased it.
We will set out the practical difference for the specific system rather than defaulting to whichever the supplier offers.
Always compare the supplier’s finance
Aesthetic equipment suppliers almost universally offer finance, frequently bundled into the sales conversation at a monthly figure rather than a total cost. It is convenient, it comes from a limited panel, and it is often beatable.
Bring us the quote you already have. Comparing costs you nothing, and the number to compare is the total payable over the term, not the monthly payment, which any lender can reduce by extending the term. The asset finance calculator will show you the rate inside a supplier quote.
Refinancing systems you already own
If your clinic owns equipment outright, refinancing it releases capital without new property security. That can fund a second treatment room, a marketing push, or the deposit on a newer platform.
It works on both encumbered and unencumbered assets and it is consistently overlooked, because no supplier has a reason to mention it.
Common questions
Can I finance a used or ex-demo system?
Often yes, though age affects both term and pricing, and some funders are far more flexible than others. Ex-demo units from established manufacturers are usually straightforward.
What if the system becomes obsolete?
This is the strongest argument for leasing rather than hire purchase in aesthetics specifically. If you expect to replace within five years, do not buy the residual value you will not use.
How quickly can it be arranged?
Straightforward cases are frequently decided within hours, with payout the same day once documents return. It is the fastest funding a clinic can access.
I am a sole practitioner. Does that change anything?
Where the borrower is a sole trader or a partnership of two or three partners and the amount financed is £25,000 or less, the agreement is regulated consumer credit, which we do not arrange. We will tell you at the outset if that applies. Above that level, or for a limited company, it does not.
Related: aesthetic clinic finance and medical equipment and asset finance.
All figures are indicative and subject to lender assessment, your circumstances, valuation and prevailing market conditions. Commercial mortgages and unregulated bridging loans are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Property offered as security may be at risk if you do not keep up repayments.