Permanent makeup – long-lasting beauty

Author: Anna Savina, head of the Russian branch of the Biotek Academy of Permanent Makeup (Milan, Italy), president of the Russian Society of Aesthetic Dermopigmentation Specialists OSED (Russia, Moscow)

Source: KOSMETIK international journal, No. 1/2012, pp. 90-93

The dream of every woman is to wake up in the morning in a great mood, rejoicing at her reflection in the mirror, feeling the fullness of her self, and joyfully welcoming every moment of the new day. Permanent makeup allows you to make this dream a reality, preserving the bright colors of youth for a long time.

A woman, having created her individual image, constantly works on it. She laughs, listening to the timbre of her voice; involuntarily follows the movements of his hands when choosing things in a store or taking keys out of his purse. Even when upset, she looks in the mirror to notice how her facial expression changes... Permanent makeup is becoming one of the ways for many women to achieve flawlessness and hide the changes that inevitably appear with age.

What is tattooing, permanent makeup, micropigmentation? By and large, all these words are synonyms, meaning the introduction of a special pigment into the skin (dermis) to create clear lines and shapes, to improve the color of the red border of the lips, eyebrows, and eyelids.

The permanent makeup procedure has taken a strong position among the services provided by medical clinics and beauty salons, located somewhere in the middle between aesthetic medicine and the art of makeup.
Permanent makeup (dermopigmentation, micropigmentation, etc.) changes the color of the skin at a deep level and is therefore durable, unlike regular makeup and temporary henna tattoos.

Benefits of permanent makeup

Does not require daily application of decorative cosmetics. Those who use eye and/or lip pencils every day know how difficult it is to achieve perfect lines and how much time you need to spend on it. Permanent makeup allows you to draw a clear line once, and it will remain for several years, saving effort, time and money.

Eliminates asymmetry. Any face is asymmetrical - this applies to lips, eyebrows, and eye shape. Sometimes the asymmetry is subtle, sometimes it is clearly expressed, but we usually don’t notice it, since we see our face in the mirror every day and have long been accustomed to all its slight “distortions.” When performing permanent makeup, the master can visually correct the asymmetry, unless, of course, the client insists on maintaining it. As a result, the image in the mirror and in photographs will always be flawless.

Visually enlarges lips. Many women dream of plump lips, but are afraid of getting fillers. With the help of permanent makeup, you can visually enlarge even “string lips”. And drawing the contour of the lips will reduce to zero the need for daily use of a pencil.

Gives the desired color to the entire surface of the lips. Permanent makeup allows you to get rid of lipstick in your cosmetic bag. The surface of the lips is shaded with a color that matches the face, and now you can eat, drink, laugh, kiss - and not be afraid for your makeup. However, if the outfit or mood requires a different shade, then decorative cosmetics can always be applied over permanent makeup.

Corrects the shape and color of the eyebrows. Permanent makeup can adjust the color, shape, thickness of the eyebrows, and the angle of their inclination to the bridge of the nose. The pigment is applied using a soft shading technique that imitates a pencil, or using individual hair strokes (in this case, no one will even guess at close range that you have visited a permanent makeup salon). If your eyebrow hairs are completely absent due to constant plucking or other reasons, then with the help of permanent makeup you can draw an eyebrow no worse than a natural one.

Corrects the shape of the eyelids and enhances the expressiveness of the eyes. Using permanent makeup, you can draw arrows and shade the eyelids (both upper and lower). After this, in any situation you will feel that your face is always “well dressed” and your eyes are bright and expressive. Modern techniques make it possible to treat not only the skin of the eyelids, but also the kajal (mucous membrane of the upper and lower eyelids), using black, colored or white pigment, depending on the task at hand.

Gives your face freshness with blush. A light veil of pink, peach or beige color completely blends with the natural color and texture of the skin, giving the face freshness and brightness, as well as correcting the shape of the cheekbones. The use of makeup techniques in the permanent makeup procedure allows you to make the oval of the face visually clearer, fitting it into the ideal proportions of Leonardo da Vinci’s golden ratio.

Smoothes out wrinkles and other age-related changes in facial skin. Anti-age permanent makeup techniques rejuvenate the face not only visually, but also at the level of skin structure. And the combination of micropigmentation and mesotherapy in one procedure gives a pronounced and long-lasting effect.

Aesthetic imperfections of the skin of the face and body (scars, vitiligo, alopecia, etc.) are dealt with in a special direction of PM - aesthetic dermopigmentation. This is a complex procedure that allows you to restore the natural color of healthy skin.

Questions and answers

Permanent makeup often raises many questions and concerns among clients, which is completely natural, given the long-term effect of the procedure and the location of the pigments introduced into the skin - the face. Let's try to dispel some of them.

“What if they do something wrong to me... How will I live with this?”

A good master will never impose his idea of the ideal shape of lips, eyes, eyebrows, etc. He will ask the client to describe the desired result as fully as possible. Perhaps she will offer to take a pencil and draw the shape that she thinks suits her best, or choose it based on the photographs offered (this could be a selection from glossy magazines or a master’s portfolio). The desired color is also discussed.

However, a true professional will not focus only on the client’s desire, as it may be erroneous. He will certainly express his professional opinion and help the client find her unique image. And although the responsibility for this or that decision lies with the client, the choice of a new image is in any case a subtle compromise.

“What if it hurts me?”

Fear of pain is another limiting factor. For example, a friend has already done permanent makeup and now says that it was incredibly painful. In this case, it doesn’t hurt to ask in which particular salon the procedure took place and what anesthesia they use there. If it turns out that the procedure was carried out without pain relief or was performed with lidocaine in a spray, it is hardly surprising that a friend experienced pain while applying permanent makeup. Modern means of pain relief guarantee maximum comfort. The procedure in the area of lips and eyebrows has become completely painless, and during permanent eyelid makeup, clients feel only a tolerable tingling sensation.

Of course, everyone’s threshold for pain sensitivity is different, and therefore a good master will definitely ask how the client tolerates pain in order to take this into account both when choosing anesthesia and during the work process.

“What if there is an allergic reaction to the pigment?”

Before starting work, the master must collect the client’s medical history: what she was sick with, when and why, what medications she reacts to and how exactly, etc. Have there been any cases of allergies to dental medications or other painkillers, which ones specifically.

Good salons trust pigments produced by reputable manufacturers who have reason to guarantee that their products have received all the required certificates (feel free to ask for them). Today these are European brands. A pigment for permanent makeup is a very complex product, made from the purest and most expensive ingredients, because it must remain in the skin and on the border with mucous membranes for several years. This is how pigments for permanent makeup differ from pigments for artistic tattoos, which still use bright, but dangerous ingredients for the body that can cause long-term chronic inflammation.

“What will happen to me then?”

Before starting the procedure, you should discuss with the master the expected appearance in all details: color, shape, line thickness. The client has the right to receive an accurate description of the development of events. For example, you need to know in advance that during the first week after the procedure, the makeup will look too bright. This happens due to the fact that the pigment is located in all layers of the skin: in the dermis and epidermis. After a month, the pigment trapped in the epidermis will go away, as the top layer of skin is constantly exfoliated.

Immediately after the procedure, swelling of the treated areas may be observed. In addition, there will be thin crusts present, which also give an excessive, slightly burgundy color. After 3–7 days, the crusts disappear along with the overly saturated color.

However, another perception problem may arise here: within a week, the client becomes so accustomed to the bright colors of the new makeup that it begins to seem to her as if after a week there is no paint left at all. In addition, the recovering epidermis during this period resembles rough tissue paper, hiding the true colors, making them light, matte and colder (pink on the lips, grayish on the eyebrows and lips). To prevent the psychological discomfort inevitable in this situation, the master must explain that a few more days will pass and everything will fall into place. The final result can be assessed only a month after the procedure.

“What if I want to change my image?”

Permanent makeup, according to its artistic execution, is divided into natural and decorative. Natural permanent makeup emphasizes and corrects the natural shapes and lines of the eyebrows, eyelids and lips. Gives freshness and well-groomed appearance to the face, while remaining almost invisible. People around you notice how your image and mood have changed, but do not understand what caused this. If desired, you can always add colors or change the line by applying decorative cosmetics on top that will match the suit, hairstyle, etc.

Decorative permanent makeup is designed to completely replace decorative cosmetics. And it is recommended only for those who constantly line their eyes in the same way or buy the same lipstick all the time. It is very difficult to cover up bright colors and hard lines of permanent pigments with conventional decorative cosmetics.

In any case, even high-quality permanent makeup will not stay on the skin for life. The pigment is gradually washed out of the skin and fades under ultraviolet rays. Permanent makeup lasts the longest on the eyebrows – 1–1.5 years. If the client often visits the solarium or vacations in hot countries, then this period can be reduced to 6–8 months. Permanent makeup of lips and eyelids lasts longer - from 3 to 5 years, in rare cases more. But usually after two years, clients have a need to “add” colors to the already familiar lines.

“What if I end up with a bad master?”

A bad master is a truly dangerous person. He may choose the wrong color, as a result, the lips will be disharmonious with the shade of the skin, eyes and hair. But this is not the most important thing. A non-professional can “fill in” the eyebrows with black paint, which will then give a bluish tint. Instead of the desired correction of asymmetry, it will only strengthen it. And all this is due to a lack of qualifications.

A good master will invite the client to look at his work. Moreover, he will provide recommendations from those who have already had permanent makeup done by him. He will tell you where, when and how he studied and improved his qualifications. True professionals study throughout their lives and are constantly looking for new information, practicing techniques, communicating with colleagues around the world, attending master classes from various schools and leading experts. Of course, there are not many such masters, it is not easy to get to them, and their price for the procedure is much higher than that of “artisans”. But permanent makeup is an art that allows you to transform a woman for a long period of time, much longer than aesthetic procedures, and the effect is often comparable to plastic surgery. Conversely, poorly executed permanent makeup can cause long-term psychological discomfort.

A good master will never allow himself to use low-quality pigments and equipment. Bad paint will give a sharp change in tone after the crust disappears, and sometimes can lead to serious skin diseases. Poor quality equipment can damage the skin to the point of leaving scars.

Please note, or a few words about contraindications

There are absolute and relative contraindications to permanent makeup. In absolute cases, it cannot be performed under any circumstances. If there are relative contraindications, the specialist can assess the situation himself, weighing the possible risks and taking precautions in advance.

Absolute contraindications:

• blood clotting disorder;
• some diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• diseases of the blood and hematopoietic organs (leukemia, etc.);
• taking blood thinning medications;
• previous chemotherapy;
• tendency to form keloid scars;
• malignant neoplasms of the skin;
• epilepsy;
• systemic autoimmune diseases (rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, scleroderma, etc.);
• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus;
• HIV and AIDS;
• any diseases in the acute and decompensation stages;
• acute bacterial and viral diseases;
• weakened immune system;
• pregnancy and lactation.

Relative contraindications:

• tendency to allergic reactions: in this case, prophylactic use of antihistamines is recommended;
• tendency to low blood pressure: for such clients, the psycho-emotional status, the ability to relieve stress, and the procedure as painless as possible are especially important;
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus and increased blood sugar levels today are no longer considered absolute contraindications to permanent makeup;
• frequent acute respiratory infections and exacerbation of herpes: before the procedure (especially in the lip area), it is recommended to consult a doctor and take prophylactic antiherpes medications, since the risk of exacerbation of herpes is very high, which can negate the effect of the procedure;
• Menstruation, general poor health (for example, sleepless night, severe stress, etc.) are not the best accompaniments for the permanent makeup procedure: in such situations, it is advisable to postpone it to a more favorable time.

As you can see, permanent makeup is a serious aesthetic procedure that requires a serious attitude towards it. A permanent makeup artist, to whom a client entrusts her face, must combine in his character the qualities inherent in an artist, a psychologist and a health worker. Not many succeed in finding a compromise between the client’s wishes and his individuality.