Mistakes of permanent makeup masters and their clients that lead to conflicts

For those friends who understand the essence of permanent makeup technology, the complexity and ambiguity of implementing the very idea of distributing pigment in the upper layer of facial skin with the desired quality for several years, it is obvious that permanent makeup is one of the most potentially conflicting cosmetic services. Neither side is interested in the conflict. However, practice shows that the number of customers who are dissatisfied with the quality of permanent makeup is growing so fast that at present, permanent makeup removal technologies are in demand no less than permanent makeup itself. The problem is there.

In Ukraine, unlike in many other countries, a client's appeal to the court for poor quality services and even damage to appearance is an exceptional case. The reasons for this are, firstly, the low legal culture in society, and secondly, the difficulty in formulating and filing a claim in court or a complaint to the Committee for the Protection of Consumer Rights. In fairness, it should be noted that the vast majority of complaints from customers who are dissatisfied with permanent makeup come down to requests for help removing permanent makeup or fixing it.

If we analyze all the cases when clients received a quality of permanent makeup that did not satisfy them, we can come to certain conclusions and list the most common mistakes in master-client communication, which lead to conflicts.

Mustache, paws and tail - these are my documents

Very often, clients cannot prove with documents that they did permanent makeup in a particular salon, clinic or with a particular master. Clients are also to blame for this, and masters and salons contribute to this by not properly documenting the procedure of permanent makeup.

From master to master

Often, clients do the first procedure in one salon, the second in another, the third in the third, and in the end, if they are unlucky, it is not clear who to complain to. Why is there such a mess with procedures? The explanation is simple. Non-professional masters cannot properly present the essence of the service during the preliminary consultation, explain that an additional procedure is the norm. They cannot inspire confidence in the client. And even an absolutely normal result of the first procedure may cause a lady to doubt: did I fall into the wrong hands? And either running around the salons and searching for a “real” expert begins: “Please remove my tattoo on the lips.” And the client just needs to finish the work that has begun.

Dishonest advertising such as: "permanent makeup does not require repetitions" leads to the same result. Such salons or masters have one goal - to lure them by hook or by crook, withdraw money, and then "even though the grass does not grow."

Be honest with your clients!

Very harmful is the famous phrase that has set the teeth on edge, which has become an advertising slogan for many illiterate or simply dishonest masters: "permanent makeup for 3-5 years." All masters will agree that in practice, permanent makeup most often requires periodic procedures to maintain its quality, usually at intervals of 1-3 years. Psychologically, there is nothing worse than promising something that you cannot give. A disappointed client will be offended at best, and at worst, will make such anti-advertising ...

The saying "permanent makeup for 3-5 years" has nothing to do with practice. Yes, there are cases when permanent makeup keeps well even after one procedure for several years (however, the criteria for evaluating what is “not bad” may be different). But these are just isolated cases and cannot be elevated to the rank of a rule. In the early 1980s, when permanent makeup was in its infancy as a service, it was expected to last 3-5 years with good quality. But practice has shown that after 3-5 years, a significant decrease in quality is almost guaranteed. But permanent makeup is not done for the same, to wait until it becomes completely bad and only then go for the next procedure to the master. Thus, it turns out that the advertising phrase "permanent makeup for 3-5 years" not only has no practical meaning, but, on the contrary, is very harmful and even discredits the service in the eyes of deceived clients.

Vocational training is your foundation

“Honestly and professionally” is the motto of a good master. True, for this he must have professional training and himself understand the theory of permanent makeup.

As a result, professional training is the foundation for the prevention of conflict situations between the master and the client. The client is always right. He just has his own truth. And the master must be able to work with it. And how can he do this if instead of training he took only courses that simulate training?

Sometimes masters, having not received training in a professional school, undertake to perform work for which they cannot vouch for the quality. At the same time, they conduct a deliberately risky experiment on clients, just to make money. Such works include; attempts to make shadows on the eyelids, blush on the cheeks, camouflage depigmented areas in vitiligo, “fill in” with flesh color your own or others’ flaws in a permanent result, which can be obtained in this way, does not meet the client’s expectations. And this is an outright deception.

Prevention of such situations can be, among other things, propaganda in the media of a professional approach to permanent makeup.

Is the customer always right?

Many clients, when choosing where to get permanent makeup, assume that all masters are the same. The one who chooses not a master, but a salon that is conveniently located, offers inexpensive services and where it is possible to sign up for today or, in extreme cases, tomorrow, is mistaken. Ironically, this client can get to the master, who once, before learning permanent makeup, first chose a convenient time for training, and then selected a place where there was an opportunity to sign up for courses on that date. In such cases, they say that they found each other.

Having made a mistake when choosing who to do permanent makeup, some clients also thoughtlessly, without having studied the complexity of the issue, rush under the first hand that came across to correct the result they didn’t like. But here, as they say, "everyone has what he deserves" in accordance with his mentality.

Many clients do not blame the master, but themselves, realizing that they lay down on the couch without approving the sketch, but simply trusting, in their opinion, the “specialist”. And the master, having taken responsibility for the sketch, it turns out, was not interested in the opinion of the lady. He was going only to satisfy his financial interest, and not to fulfill the client's order.

Some masters do a little better when they make a sketch in such a way that the client, approving the option proposed by the master, does not really understand how permanent makeup will look like, and the result for him may be completely unexpected. Eyebrow tattooing is the most artistic part of permanent makeup. And if the master does not have an artistic vision of the face, drawing an eyebrow, then there will be a corresponding, misleading client, a sketch and an unpredictable result for both of them.

If before performing the lip tattoo, the contour on the sketch was drawn with a cosmetic pencil without a clear drawing of the border, then what should the client say? And this happens all the time. The client sees the boundary of the contour in his own way, and the master means it in a different place. Such negligence is unacceptable. The master should not mislead the client, but on the contrary, do everything in his power so that the client understands the sketch, approves it, taking responsibility for the geometric parameters of the sketch. Masters who have not received a clear and unambiguous order from the client do not have the moral right to transfer responsibility for approving the sketch to the client, let alone start work.

If the client signed the phrase “I allow me to do permanent makeup… according to the sketch approved by me”, then she, in turn, has no legal right to make claims in cases where she ultimately does not like, for example, the shape or width of her eyebrows. Although, if permanent makeup precedes a careless sketch made by the master, then the moral responsibility in conscience lies with him. But he does not understand this if he is not a makeup artist, does not have an artistic vision of permanent makeup, and besides, he did not study at a normal school.

The tandem of the master and the client is the key to success!

Sometimes clients do procedures not at the enterprise, but at home, at exhibitions, with visiting "stars", while in another city on vacation, visiting, on a business trip. That is, clients do not understand that in the event of a conflict situation it will be difficult for them to find the author of the work. On the other hand, in all these cases, honest masters had to inform the client that one skin pigmentation procedure is only the first step towards permanent makeup and it is necessary to arrange the next meeting. And if it's difficult, then you shouldn't even start.

The performance of permanent make-up should always be based on a mutual understanding of the cooperation between the master and the client. Throughout life, taking into account periodic quality-supporting procedures, there will be many meetings between the master and the client, and ideally, a reliable tandem should form at the first procedure. This is also a guarantee of quality and, therefore, conflict-free cooperation between the customer and the contractor. And what kind of tandem can we talk about if the procedure is irresponsibly performed by the master, with whom it will be difficult or impossible to see later.

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Calculate the client: what the choice of the PM procedure can tell

How to prevent conflict from developing?

What should be done to minimize the chances of conflict situations with the client?

The first and most important thing to prevent conflict situations is the high-quality implementation of permanent makeup.

The second is a well-conducted preliminary consultation with the client.

The third is the legally thought-out documentation of the procedure.

Of course, in the center is the direct performer - a master with the necessary abilities. Professional training is followed by professional equipment of the workplace and strict adherence to the technology of the procedure. Carrying out procedures with a regularity sufficient to acquire and maintain a skill should be combined with periodic refresher training.