Aesthetic dermopigmentation: what to pay special attention to

Svetlana Kachalova, founder and head of the Ideal Contour training center (distributor of Nouveau Contour (Netherlands) in Ukraine), international certified master trainer of PM, microblading and dermapigmentation Nouveau Contour, participant in international conferences and exhibitions on PM and microblading, member of the European Association masters of permanent make-up and visage

It used to be simple: a tattoo artist. Further, the evolution of professional growth opened up the sphere of permanent makeup: liners appeared, the boundaries of the zones of influence expanded - from working only with the face, hardware and manual micropigmentation to bodily camouflage practices with pigmentation of the dermis, that is, the skin, but, as a rule, the body. The circle is closed. The introduction of pigment into the skin was revived in a new role - aesthetic, with a completely different target subtext: camouflage - not a demonstration, nature - but not a challenge, naturalness - not artificiality. The main goal is to hide the errors of the body, to bring it closer to the ideal.

Dermal pigmentation: what is it?

Dermopigmentation is a method of correcting skin defects by introducing pigment under the skin, into the upper layers of the dermis, through permanent makeup.

Basically, the term "dermopigmentation" is associated with correction, color correction and camouflage of the skin, and if, for example, a scar or vitiligo spot is located in the face area, this still refers to dermopigmentation.

Contraindications to the dermapigmentation procedure are oncological diseases, diabetes mellitus, inflammatory diseases, violations of the integrity of the skin in the affected area, mental illness, pregnancy and lactation.

Technically, dermopigmentation is performed similarly to traditional classical hardware methods - by introducing pigment under the skin using needles of different configurations.

*By the way, the Master Course "School of Aesthetic Dermopigmentation" will be devoted to this important topic, which will be held in Kiev on September 9-10. The rich program will offer an in-depth study of the issues of aesthetic dermopigmentation, systematize and analyze modern methods and techniques.

The main tasks that dermapigmentation copes with:

• scarring;
• cosmetic correction of the areola;
• restoration of the areola and nipple after breast cancer (oncology);
• stretch marks;
• dyschromia;
• post-acne;
• vitiligo etc.

The leader of requests for dermopigmentation is scars. Normotrophic scars, which are flush with the skin, lend themselves better to permanent correction. With hypotrophic, atrophic, hypertrophic scars, it is first advisable to consult a dermatologist for their therapy or for permission to perform the procedure. Keloid scars do not lend themselves to camouflage.

Distinguish between medical and cosmetic dermopigmentation.

Types of procedures

Medical dermapigmentation - camouflage of scars and skin defects, as well as restoration of individual areas using color correction and reproduction of missing skin pigmentation due to surgical or mechanical effects on the client's skin or due to illness. This category includes the procedure for color correction upon completion of the recovery process after surgery, external influence, depending on the nature of the damage to the skin. The nature of the formation is important for further camouflage, since lacerated and loose wounds after bites, burns, cuts and surgical sutures are different in the nature and structure of healing. It should be emphasized that the density and nature of scars depend not only on their prescription, but also on the amount of fibrous tissue formed in the process of scar formation, the depth of damage and localization.

Cosmetic and aesthetic dermapigmentation (usually of the areola) is carried out at the request of the client to change the color of the natural skin pigment to the desired one, according to the client's idea of the beauty of the body. There are also requests for correction of the shape of the areola.

In addition to the cosmetic and aesthetic effect, dermopigmentation also has a therapeutic effect, since the procedure stimulates the skin to renew itself.

Dermopigmentation is also able to improve the size and color of the areolas, this is an indispensable way to correct the area around the nipple after mammoplasty. The introduction of pigment helps to correct the shape of the areola, to make its color more saturated.

Working with scars is very difficult due to connective tissue fibrosis resulting from uncontrolled reparative regeneration. This is the most common cosmetic defect and often occurs as a result of certain skin diseases, injuries, burns and surgical interventions.

It is worth considering the regeneration of damaged tissues, where, due to inflammation or damage to the skin, during the healing of the wound channel, young connective tissue appears between the cells in the form of fibroblastic cords. Fresh scar tissue retains significant remnants of granulation tissue vessels, which gives them a bright reddish color. As we age, scar tissue turns pale due to a decrease in the number of cellular elements and blood vessels.

Scars on the face and neck not only cause their deformation, but are also pronounced cosmetic defects, sometimes causing functional disorders.

Personally, I would add trichopigmentation (imitation of hair on the head) to the list of tasks that dermapigmentation copes with. Almost all masters who are ready to work in the field of cosmetic and medical dermopigmentation do not see their practice without a trichopigmentation course. This is a fairly young direction both for Ukraine and for world practice, very promising and complex, requiring patience and practice. The leaders of this procedure are Turkey, Israel, Italy, China, USA, Canada. Men and women in these countries have a different attitude towards their own appearance, consider trichopigmentation as a chance to restore beauty and youth to their hair, and, importantly, are familiar with the procedure. Masters perform it successfully and expensively (compared to other PM procedures), but if you count the costs of transplanting hair follicles, it is still much more affordable. Pigments for trichopigmentation as a separate series are the future.

And now back to our provocative title of the article. Of course, we did not set out to scare away PM masters from dermapigmentation. But we are obliged to discuss all the nuances and once again emphasize how experienced a specialist should be and how well-established the execution technique should be, which should be paid special attention to, we are obliged.

Those five reasons

Responsibility. Probably the most basic and important thing for a permanent makeup master is not to harm the client. It's no secret that not every permanent makeup master is ready to work with delicate areas and can take on the areola, nipple, vitiligo, scars and trichopigmentation. We have masters who practice dermopigmentation, but there are very few of them. Little knowledge, little work, little experience, lack of demand for this type of procedure. This is due to the lack of awareness of our customers about this possibility. The client comes only when he is tired of answering questions from strangers and, looking at his own reflection in the mirror, imagines himself a different person that he can become. Distrust of masters is the scourge of our time. Of course, what you are not ready for cannot become yours. The master cannot take responsibility and money for the procedure for which he is not ready.

Qualification and partnership. Of course, the master must have the appropriate level of education, which can confirm your qualifications, corresponding to the area you work with, whether it is the areola, scars, vitiligo and head area - trichopigmentation. Ideally, if the master shares his responsibility with specialists who have the necessary qualifications. That is, if this is the area of medical dermopigmentation, then this is close work with plastic surgeons. Of course, I understand that we, in Ukraine, have a very difficult relationship with medicine, and I only express my vision of correct work with clients. But if yesterday our client was a patient, it is hard to deny the fact that the ideal course of events is a consultation and referral of a plastic surgeon for a cosmetic dermopigmentation procedure to a permanent makeup master who has the appropriate permission. I am for this future! And not vice versa. The client leaves the plastic surgeon and is left alone with his problems (for example, breast augmentation - a scar along the nipple; T-shaped skin tightening - a large T-shaped scar; any surgical intervention - a scar that no one camouflages, since no one wrote out a referral for scar cosmetics to a permanent makeup master, esthetician).

Ukraine is very rich in qualified plastic surgeons, who have a very long line of clients for the procedure. And only a few then turn directly to the permanent makeup master, since this request is at their own peril and risk, it is their responsibility and desire to change and finish what they started, for the sake of which they went to the plastic surgeon - for the beauty of the body.

Artistic skills. It is difficult to be a permanent makeup artist and not be able to draw or not work on this skill. Many people have a sense of beauty. But it’s not enough to have the art of seeing - you need to be able to technically do the job, choose the ideal colors for camouflage according to the colorist, suitable for this particular client, draw with artistic taste what is not there, especially if we are talking about trichopigmentation and the restoration procedure of the areola and nipple. These skills need to be constantly improved, which is often overlooked by the PM master.

Equipment, pigments and appropriate needle configuration. Many masters may not be technically prepared for the procedure with delicate areas. In the arsenal of the master, it is simply necessary to have a separate line of pigments for areola and camouflage. They are produced specifically for color correction of the dermis and have a special structure and formula. Pigments must be safe and comply with all hygienic standards, be certified, have documents confirming the quality. Many masters cannot start practicing because their equipment does not allow working with medical dermopigmentation (for example, the needle configuration is limited). I focus on medicine on purpose, since the master must be ready, when working with certain areas, to choose the needle that best matches the protocol of the procedure. In order not to be unfounded, let's move on to examples.

The mistake of the masters who first took up trichopigmentation is when the master does not take into account the structure of the scalp and does not think about the quality of the pigments and needles that he uses. The diameter of the needle should correspond to the thickness of the client's hair (it is necessary to use the thinnest: 1-micro, 1-nano (1, 2), the diameter of which is 0.25 and 0.2 mm, and the puncture is 0.18, 0.15 and 0, 12 mm). It is also worth considering the sharpening of needles. It is desirable that the equipment has an additional option for medical dermopigmentation.

Features of working with this type of client. Who are we, masters of permanent make-up? Why are we doing this? Why are we not lawyers, not engineers, not accountants, why did we choose this particular profession? Why are we interested in areola, scars and trichopigmentation at some stage? For some, the motivation is the interest to learn and learn new practices, ambitious plans and foreign practices and / or to have in their arsenal all the skills and knowledge that a real master, a leading specialist in the field of permanent makeup, should have.

The second aspect is to help those people to whom no one but us can restore beauty. The world experience is charitable free procedures, if we are talking about women who have gone through the seven circles of oncology hell: diagnosis, cancer, chemotherapy, surgery, rehabilitation, plastic surgery and implantation, the recovery process. Then the PM master can become the last resort, give clients a new quality of life, restore self-confidence and help them see femininity and beauty in the reflection.

At some point, all the knowledge that the master possesses finds application in practical work. But in order to use different techniques in the work, they - elementarily - must be in the arsenal of the master and be honed to perfection.

The material was first published in Permanent No. 1(13)/2019