Infection Control in Aesthetics Clinics

Injectables, skin treatments, microblading and piercing all break the skin. Infection control is therefore the core safety system in any aesthetics clinic, and the first thing an environmental health officer, insurer or future licensing inspector will look at.

Good infection control is mostly routine: hand hygiene, clean surfaces, single-use equipment, safe sharps disposal and clear records. Written procedures make sure every practitioner follows the same routine, every time.

This guide covers the legal position today, what an infection control procedure for an aesthetics clinic should contain, and how the planned licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England is likely to change things.

Infection Control at a Glance

Area	What the procedure should cover
Premises and registration	Local authority registration for skin piercing treatments, cleaning standards
Hand hygiene and PPE	When and how to wash hands, gloves, aprons
Skin preparation and aseptic technique	Cleansing the treatment area, no-touch technique
Equipment	Single-use items, decontamination and sterilisation of anything reusable
Sharps	Safe use, disposal and needlestick response
Waste	Clinical and sharps waste through a licensed carrier
Consent and records	Medical history, consent, product batch numbers, aftercare

The Legal Position Today

England does not yet have a national licensing scheme for most non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Several existing laws still apply, and together they set clear expectations for infection control.

Local Authority Registration

Under Part VIII of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, practitioners and premises offering acupuncture, tattooing, semi-permanent skin colouring, cosmetic piercing and electrolysis must be registered with the local authority. Microblading and permanent make-up count as semi-permanent skin colouring.

Local authorities can make byelaws on the cleanliness of premises, practitioners and equipment, including cleaning and sterilising instruments. Breaching them is an offence, and a court can suspend or cancel registration.

London boroughs run their own special treatment licensing, which covers a wider range of treatments. Check with your council which regime applies to you.

Health and Safety Law

Clinics that employ staff have duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV are biological agents, so the risk of exposure must be assessed and controlled under COSHH.

Medicines and Age Limits

Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine, so it can only be supplied after an assessment by an appropriate prescriber. Professional regulators expect a face-to-face consultation before injectable cosmetic medicines are prescribed.

The Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 makes it an offence to give these treatments to anyone under 18 for cosmetic purposes. Your procedure should include age checks.

The Planned Licensing Scheme

The Health and Care Act 2022 gave the government power to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. In its consultation response of August 2025, the government confirmed a scheme run by local authorities for lower-risk procedures such as botulinum toxin and fillers.

The response said initial work would prioritise restricting the highest-risk procedures to suitably qualified healthcare professionals in settings regulated by the Care Quality Commission. A further consultation on how those restrictions will work was promised.

As of November 2026 there is no start date for the licensing scheme. Infection control standards are expected to be a core licence condition when it arrives, so a clinic with sound written procedures now will be ready for it.

Hand Hygiene and PPE

Hand hygiene is the single most important control. Practitioners should wash hands before and after each client, and use alcohol hand rub at key points during treatment.

Gloves are single use and changed between clients, and whenever they are torn or contaminated. Hand washing is still needed after removing them, because gloves do not give complete protection.

Set rules on nails, jewellery and clothing. Long or false nails and rings hold bacteria and tear gloves.

Skin Preparation and Aseptic Technique

Cleanse the treatment area with an appropriate antiseptic and let it dry before treatment. Make-up should be removed fully, and the client should not touch the area afterwards.

Use an aseptic no-touch technique: the key parts of the equipment, such as needle tips, never touch anything that is not sterile. Training should include supervised practice, with competence checked before a practitioner works alone.

Equipment, Decontamination and Sterilisation

Use single-use, sterile items wherever possible: needles, cannulas, microblades and applicators. Never reuse them, even on the same client at a later appointment.

Reusable instruments need cleaning, then sterilisation in a validated steriliser, with records of each cycle and regular servicing. Most clinics avoid this by using single-use items throughout.

Treatment couches, trolleys and surfaces need cleaning between clients with a suitable disinfectant. A written cleaning schedule shows what is cleaned, how and how often.

Sharps Safety

Dispose of sharps immediately after use into a sharps container at the point of treatment. Never re-sheath needles, and never let a sharps bin get more than three-quarters full.

The procedure needs a clear needlestick response: encourage the wound to bleed, wash it under running water, report it, and seek medical advice the same day. Practitioners at risk should be offered hepatitis B vaccination.

Clinical Waste

Sharps and waste contaminated with blood or body fluids must be segregated and collected by a licensed waste carrier. Keep the waste transfer or consignment notes the law requires.

General waste and clinical waste should never be mixed. A clear bin colour scheme in each treatment room helps staff get it right.

Consent, Records and Aftercare

Before treatment, take and record a medical history, including allergies, medicines, skin conditions and previous treatments. Some conditions mean a treatment should not go ahead.

Record consent, the product used, its batch number and expiry date, the areas treated and the practitioner. Batch numbers let you trace clients quickly if a product is recalled.

Give written aftercare advice and tell the client how to contact you if they notice signs of infection, such as increasing pain, heat, swelling or discharge.

Complications and Emergencies

Infection is one of several complications. Your procedures should also cover allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, and for dermal fillers the risk of vascular occlusion.

Keep an emergency kit suited to the treatments you offer, check it regularly, and make sure practitioners are trained to use it. Record every complication and review what happened.

Mobile and Home Treatments

Practitioners who treat clients at home or at events have less control over their surroundings. The procedure should cover a portable hand hygiene kit, a clean field for equipment, transport of sharps bins and waste back to base, and a minimum standard for the treatment space.

If the environment is not clean enough, the practitioner should be able to decline to treat. Put that right in writing, so practitioners are supported when they use it.

Auditing Your Procedures

A short monthly audit keeps standards up. Check hand hygiene, sharps bins, cleaning records, stock expiry dates and a sample of client records against the procedures.

Record what you find and what you fix. An audit trail shows an inspector or insurer that infection control is managed actively, and it is likely to be valuable evidence once licensing begins.

Training

Every practitioner needs infection control training, and refresher training at regular intervals. Keep certificates and records of in-house training, including practical checks of hand hygiene and aseptic technique.

Training records will be one of the first things a licensing officer asks for once the national scheme is in place.

The Documents You Need

• An infection prevention and control policy.
• A cleaning schedule and decontamination procedure.
• A sharps and needlestick procedure.
• A clinical waste procedure and waste records.
• Consultation, medical history and consent forms.
• Treatment records with product batch numbers.
• A complications and emergency procedure.
• Training records for every practitioner.

Aesthetics Clinic Policy and Procedure Writers

We write infection control, consent and complications procedures for aesthetics clinics, salons and skin clinics, built around the treatments you actually offer. They form part of our policies for beauty and aesthetics clinics service, priced from £65 per document.

For a broader view of infection control documents, see our page on infection control policies. Get a quote for a fixed price.