Utah will soon have a state-wide law regulating the practice of body art, something that TriCounty Health has been doing in this area since 2001. The new rule is to make sure that not only tattoo artists but all body art facilities are practicing proper sanitation procedures. The definition of body art, according to the new rule, is body piercing, tattooing, or application of permanent cosmetics. This includes having your eyebrows microbladed. Microblading is done by having the eyebrow skin cut by a small blade and applying ink over the top to give the appearance of hair. Any of these procedures can be dangerous as they spread bloodborne pathogens if facilities are not following good sanitation practices. For your safety, be sure they have an up to date operating permit from TriCounty Health Department as this means they have been inspected and approved. Watch the artist and be sure the artist disinfects working surfaces, wraps tools, washes their hands, and wears gloves while working on you. Make sure that they wash their hands every time they change their gloves and that they change their gloves when they touch anything besides you or the tools to tattoo. If you ever have a concern, call TriCounty Health Department.
