TORFAEN councillors approved new skin piercing byelaws at its full council meeting earlier this week.

At the meeting on Tuesday, councillors were asked to agree to update the powers to register and regulate tattooists and other skin piercing operations in Torfaen, in order to ensure appropriate hygiene standards and protect public health.

It was recommended that the council approved the new byelaws in respect of acupuncture, tattooing, semi-permanent skin-colouring, cosmetic piercing and electrolysis.

The range of skin piercing practices on offer to the public has expanded over the years to include the practice of cosmetic piercing – piercing of parts of the face and body, and semi-permanent skin colouring e.g. semi-permanent make-up, with many of these services already offered in Torfaen.

All of these procedures involve some degree of skin piercing and therefore carry potential health risks, such as skin infections, allergic reactions or the transmission of blood borne viruses such as hepatitis or HIV.

The Welsh Government developed model byelaws in 2011 and these are being adopted by local authorities across Wales to help ensure that both the standards required of businesses and the protection offered to the public using those businesses are consistent.

The purpose of the byelaws will be to require specified skin piercing premises to register with the authority and will expand the range of businesses covered and will mean that high risk businesses, such as body-piercers, are brought into the regulatory regime.

Registration is a one-off process, with the business premises and those operating the skin piercing activity registered separately.