Skin piercing

People practising acupuncture, semi-permanent skin-colouring, cosmetic piercing (including ear piercing), electrolysis or tattooing, and the premises they use, have to be registered with their local authority.

The Council has adopted byelaws to secure the hygienic operation of these activities. Copies are available to view or download on the right of this page. Byelaws about Cosmetic Piercing and Semi-permanent Skin-colouring have been confirmed by the Secretary of State for Health and come into force on the 1 March 2006.

Guidance Notes

The Council has produced guidance notes covering various skin piercing topics. These are listed in the 'Publications' area of the site (prefixed by 'Skin Piercing') from where they can be downloaded.