Newfoundland and Labrador's Health and Community Services Department is reviewing the industry, which conducts non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as laser treatments, tattooing and body piercing.

The provincial health department is trying to determine which parts of the non-surgical cosmetic industry may require specific regulations, CBC News has learned.

Doctors and other medical professionals who do cosmetic treatments are regulated by professional organizations such as the N.L. College of Physicians and Surgeons. But there are no regulations in place for non-medical professionals who do these procedures.

Dr. Denise Hyland, owner of The Lazer Room, a clinic for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in St. John's, said because of the lack of provincial regulations, she is the only person in her clinic who is permitted to use her laser equipment.

"I know a lot of other clinics delegate some of these procedures such as laser hair removal and I.P.L. (intense pulsed light)," said Hyland. "But I've always been cognisant of the fact that things are not as simple as they appear on the surface."

Health Canada only regulates the medical devices used for those purposes, and a Health Canada spokesperson said the provinces are responsible for the people using the equipment. The only training available for people using these machines is by the companies who make them.

As laser treatments, tattooing and other non-surgical cosmetic procedures become more popular in the province, Hyland is worried that customers are not doing enough research on the business they go to for these services.

"The public has become almost blasé, I mean they almost sort of regard this as a beauty treatment. It's not, lasers have interaction with tissues," said Hyland.