Hairdressing, Beauty and Skin Penetration

Hairdressers, beauty salons and premises where skin penetration procedures are undertaken are regulated to minimise the potential spread of infectious disease from unhygienic procedures and practices.

NSW Health has numerous fact sheets, brochures and posters to assist with meeting these requirements.

Skin Penetration

What is a skin penetration procedure?

A skin penetration procedure is defined under the Public Health Act 2010 to mean any procedure that penetrates the skin or declared by the Public Health Regulation 2022 as being a skin penetration procedure.

This includes but not limited to:

  • tattooing
  • body and ear piercing
  • colonic lavage
  • waxing
  • electrolysis
  • cuticle cutting
  • body modifications eg scarification
  • microdermabrasion
  • blackhead removal using a needle

A skin penetration procedure does not include:

  • any procedure carried out by a health practitioner registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, or by a person acting under the direction or supervision of a registered health practitioner, in the course of providing a health service, or
  • any procedure declared by the regulations not to be a skin penetration procedure eg laser hair removal.
Notification Requirements
Council Inspections
Premises fit out and approval requirements