12.1. The artist shall wear a clean outer garment.

12.2. Before each procedure, the artist shall clean his/her fingernails with his/her individual nail file and shall thoroughly wash and scrub his/her hands with tempered running water, an approved soap and his/her individual hand brush. He/she shall not allow his/her hands to dry without the use of a single service use paper towel or approved mechanical means.

12.3. A new pair of medical disposable gloves shall be used by the artist for each client and shall be disposed of immediately upon removal.

12.4. The area of the client's skin to which body art is to be applied shall be prepared by washing with distilled water and approved germicidal soap. When it is necessary to shave the area, single service disposable razors shall be used. Following shaving, the skin must be gently scrubbed with 70% isopropyl alcohol or other approved germicidal solution, using a sterile gauze pad or paper towel, which shall be used only on one client and then discarded.

12.5. Following the cleaning and the shaving of the client's skin, the artist shall again wash and scrub his/her hands as required in Section 12.2 and put on a new pair of medical disposable gloves.

12.6. During any phase of the procedure, should the artist be interrupted for other duties, i.e., answering the phone, etc., the artist shall wash his/her hands as required in Section 12.2. before resuming the procedure. A new pair of medical disposable gloves shall be used.

12.7. When acetate stencils are used for transferring the design to the skin, stencils shall be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed in an approved germicidal solution according to manufacturer's instructions and then they shall be dried with a sterile gauze pad or air-dried before each use.

12.8. When the design is transferred during hectograph and tracing paper or duplicating carbon methods, the paper or duplicating master shall not be reused on another client.

12.9. In preparing nontoxic dyes or pigments, only nontoxic or sterile material shall be used. Single service or individual portions of pigments in clean sterilized containers or single service containers shall be used for each client. Upon completion, the remaining unused pigments shall be discarded. Any pigment in which the needles were dipped shall not be reused during new or follow-up procedures. Where pigment mixing is necessary to achieve the correct color and follow-up touch-ups may be required (permanent cosmetics), the original container of mixed pigment may be kept.

12.10. Excess pigment shall be removed from the skin with a sterile gauze pad or paper towel, which shall be used only on one client and then discarded.

12.11. After a completed body art procedure, with the exception of piercings, the area of skin worked on, shall be cleaned with a piece of single use sterile material saturated with an approved germicidal solution. It shall be allowed to dry. After drying, ointment may be applied to body art from a collapsible metal or plastic tube or single use packet or portion and where feasible the entire area covered with a piece of an approved, nonstick bandage. The ointment may be spread by the use of sterile gauze, sterile tongue depressors, or gloved fingers.

12.12. The area of permanent cosmetic application shall be washed and where feasible, ointment or petroleum jelly shall be applied.

12.13. All surfaces, work tables and client chairs must be disinfected with EPA approved surface disinfectant as defined in Section 3 of these Rules before each new client is seated.