Electrolysis Guidelines

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General Guidelines for Electrolysis and Laser Hair Removal

• Contact surfaces must have a smooth non absorbent finish.
• Work area must be well lit.
• Setting must be equipped with at least one sink for hand washing which is conveniently located near work area but at least one metre away from clean or sterile supplies. Sinks must be continuously supplied with potable hot and cold running water, dispensable liquid soap and single-use hand towels in a dispenser.
• If there is only one sink available on the premises, it may be used for both hand washing and cleaning of equipment/instruments providing it satisfies specific requirements.
• All equipment/instruments must be of durable construction, in good repair and in clean and sanitary condition.
• All blood and body fluid exposure and client records are to be kept for five years; at least one year on-site.
• Immunization with Hepatitis B vaccine is strongly recommended for all personal service workers.

Operational Requirements and Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines

• Service is to be provided in a manner that reduces the risk of transmission of microorganisms to the client and the personal service worker.
• Service is to be provided in a manner that prevents disease transmission.
• Routine Practices are to be used with all clients during service delivery and include:
  • Hand hygiene.
  • Clean, non-sterile gloves for:
    • Contact with blood or body fluids.
    • When handling visibly soiled items.
    • When the personal service worker has non-intact skin and,
    • Other situations as appropriate.
  • Face protection and gowns when appropriate.
• Hands must be washed for at least 15 seconds with soap and warm running water:
  • Before and after each client treatment.
  • Immediately before and after applying and removing gloves and,
  • When otherwise appropriate.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (containing 60-90% alcohol) may be used if hands are not visibly soiled.
• All equipment/instruments that cannot be easily and thoroughly cleaned will be considered as single-use disposable.
• All reusable equipment/instruments are to be cleaned then either disinfected or sterilized after each use.
• Manual cleaning involves the use of a detergent and water solution and scrubbing (the use of friction) to remove soil.
• All product labels for disinfectants must have a drug identification number (DIN), with the exception of hypochlorite.
• Clean items must be stored separately from dirty items to prevent cross-contamination.
• Contact surfaces that cannot be easily or adequately cleaned and disinfected between use must be covered with single-use disposable discarded after each use.
• Manufacturer’s instructions are to be followed for dilution, use, reuse and contact time of disinfectants.
• The Personal Service owner/operator must contact their local health unit for every sterilizer failure immediately upon notification from the laboratory.
• All sharps that are intended for use to penetrate the skin and/or mucous membranes must be provided as sterile, single-use disposable items; an approved sharps container is to
  be used for used disposable sharps immediately after each single use.
• Sharps containers must be discarded in accordance with biomedical waste regulation.

Specific Requirements:

• Heat produced by the current passing through an electrolysis needle is not sufficient to sterilize it.
• Needles used for electrolysis must be single-use disposable, pre-packaged and sterile and disposed of in an approved sharps container immediately after use.
• The removable tip/cap of the epilator needle/probe holder must be cleaned and, disinfected after each client.
• The epilator cord must either be protected with a non-absorbent single-use disposable cover or the cord must be cleaned then disinfected with an intermediate level disinfectant at a minimum, between clients.
• Equipment/instruments used in laser hair removal must be cleaned and then either disinfected or sterilized or disposed as appropriate after each client.
• Single–use sterile needles are to be used to expose the ingrown hairs.  Equipment/instruments used only to pull the hair, must be cleaned and disinfected with an intermediate or high-level disinfectant between uses.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH UNIT.

Related Resources

• General Guidelines for Electrolysis and Laser Hair Removal

Related Topics

• Beauty Treatment