The controversial art of body modification could face a crackdown in NSW after a woman was left with mutilated genitals.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard is considering tighter licensing requirements and age limits, and requiring stringent record keeping for the artists who implant, slice and scar their willing subjects in the name of art.
But the minister also wants psychological examinations for the people willing to go under the knife, adding some must have "major issues going on in their head".
The changes are being proposed as a 37-year-old man prepares to face court on May 15 for allegedly mutilating the genitals of a 33-year-old woman who underwent a procedure at a Newcastle business in 2016.
The man's Instagram profile, which was deleted on Monday, included images of split tongues, implants under the skin and "scarification" - etching or burning permanent designs into the skin.
US artist known as "The Enigma" hammers a nail into his nose during an international tattoo convention. Source: AAP
