Campaign for safe SPMU needles launches in UK

A campaign has been launched to stop the sale of fake needles for use in semi-permanent make-up and cosmetic tattooing treatments by the campaign group Safety in Micropigmentation.

Headed by Chairman Dawn Forshaw, CEO of ABT-Accredited Micropigmentation company Finishing Touches Group, the campaign aims to raise UK standards within Micropigmentation and promote safe needle practice. 

A booming industry in the UK, offering cosmetic enhancement to eyes, brows and lips as well as solutions for sufferers of hair loss and post-surgery reconstruction, Micropigmentation requires high standards of health and safety practice. With the growth of the industry comes an influx of product suppliers and a resulting increase in fake and modified needles.

A key message that the Safety in Micropigmentation campaign is aiming to raise is that for needles to be safe they should be sterilised, sealed and have a safety membrane. Genuine needles and cartridges will feature a safety membrane patent on the packaging, such as MT Derm in Germany. A cartridge that does not include a safety membrane will result in ‘backflow' in the handpiece, where body fluids released when the skin is pierced are drawn up into the cartridge when they mix with the Micropigmentation pigment. This results in a ten-fold increase in the possiblity of cross-contamination when the handpiece is used on the next client. This means that clients are exposed to the possiblity of contracting infectious diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV.

Finishing Touches Group are inviting selected Micropigmentation suppliers offering genuine needles and cartridges to join the campaign to safeguard against cross-contamination by displaying the Safety in Micropigmentation logo on their website, ensuring technicians can be confident that they are purchasing safe products.