Uhm Doctor, whats the belt sander for?

April 27, 2008 8:55 PM

Where can I find information about laws in Virginia related to tattoo removal?

I'm trying to find out what the legal requirements are for opening or operating a tattoo removal business in Virginia. I've heard that Virginia laws requires a doctor or nurse to perform the procedure (or operate the laser tattoo removal machine) but haven't been able to find out if thats true or not. I haven't even figured out where to start... A google search doesn't really turn up anything but spam tattoo removal creams or fake chinese laser removal machines.

posted by youthenrage to Law & Government (4 answers total)

If you're opening a business, you should talk to a lawyer anyways to make sure you've got all the tax, labor, and zoning laws down. You can ask him this while you're there.
posted by Electrius at 8:57 PM on April 27, 2008

I suspect that that is not true, but you should really talk to a lawyer. It would suck to find out the hard way.
posted by meta_eli at 9:30 PM on April 27, 2008

Best answer: Here is the part of the VA code that covers tattoos. It does not specifically mention tattoo removal; indeed, "tattoo parlor" is defined as a place that DOES tattoos, not removes them. However, I would imagine that the business you propose is still going to be regulated by the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology. If you can't find what you need in their regulations, call them.
posted by JanetLand at 4:56 AM on April 28, 2008

Best answer: Here is a relevant section of code for laser tattoo removal. Although I couldn't find anything specific to laser tattoo removal on the Board of Medicine website, in the guidance documents you will find one on light-based hair removal that states laser hair removal is considered laser surgery based on the first link. So it seems to require a physician's supervision at a minimum. There are probably other laws as well regulating the laser itself; in some states you need to obtain certificate of need for capital expenditures over a certain amount; medical lasers alone can easily run over $100,000.00, so that may be an issue as well. That is just a beginning of what you will have to do to open what will be a medical practice specializing in tattoo removal, there are any number of additional regulatory hurdles including such things as privacy laws and medical wast disposal that you will need to learn about.
posted by TedW at 8:29 AM on April 28, 2008