Permanent Makeup Removal: Problems and Opportunities

The advantages of a successful tattoo are immediately visible: the client leaves the permanent makeup office, having received a beautiful shape, color, missing accents on the face and, accordingly, with self-confidence. But not every work of the master can be called successful.

The result, which for various reasons does not suit the client, may be the lack of skills among novice masters, poor quality consumables, and insufficiently placed hand. In rare cases, the work can be completed by changing the shape, giving saturation to the shade of the pigment. But much more often the tattoo has to be removed. Read about the most popular removal methods in this article.

What are the reasons for tattoo removal?

There can be a huge number of subjective reasons for tattoo removal. But if we are talking about an old tattoo made using an outdated technique, then the main reason for its removal is a change in color. In the early years of the development of permanent makeup as an independent procedure, the pigment was injected deep under the skin during application, due to which the body could not remove it without problems over time. This led to the fact that the paint in the skin changed its shade over time: black turned into blue, brown into red or other undesirable shades. Lips after tattooing also changed their color, while it could be both faded and much more saturated than before.

What caused these changes? Here are some of the most common reasons:

• in the process of tattooing, pigments were used, which include iron oxide (usually these are pigments in brown and red shades). In this case, at first the shade is preserved, and over time it splits and is excreted by the body, leaving only the main red color;
• wrong choice of pigment shade. The most common mistakes of inexperienced craftsmen in choosing a shade of pigment are due to the fact that they do not take into account the fact of light refraction. In the process of skin healing, the tattoo area is covered with a thin layer of the epidermis, which refracts light. Because of this, the shade is perceived differently. Gradually, the layers of the skin grow, the refraction intensifies. As a result, the color of the tattoo can be perceived in a completely different way;
• the use of black pigment. For permanent makeup, black is taboo. Every experienced master will confirm this for you. Black color always migrates to gray. As an alternative, a dark tone of brown is used, which never changes its hue.

But it's not just the errors that occur during the procedure. The client may want to remove the tattoo for personal reasons, among which the most common are:

• Discrepancy between desired and actual . The client, most often, imagines how his face will change after the procedure even before doing permanent makeup. But the result may differ from what he imagined. In this case, the outcome depends on the master: whether he will warn his client about a possible discrepancy between his expectations and the result at the consultation stage or not. It is very important to set the client not to judge the result immediately after the procedure, but to wait until the pigment "settles down", the skin heals, the shape is fully formed.
• Wrong shape . “Is the shape you choose right for me?” Very often, when choosing the shape of eyebrows or lips, many girls do not think about this issue. Usually they rely on their acquaintances or photos of models on the Internet who already have permanent makeup, and ask for exactly the same. Clients must remember that the form is selected by the master, who relies on his experience and the wishes of the client, drawing out the most harmonious option in each individual case.
• The color of the tattoo does not suit the face or lifestyle. Bright lip tattoo is beautiful, but not always relevant. Or, on the contrary, pale shades, although fashionable, can change the appearance not for the better. Of course, this can be corrected by correction or refinement. But often clients decide the issue more radically - they completely remove permanent makeup.
• Discomfort after tattooing . Itching and pain are typical of the healing period of the tattoo, but if they do not go away, we can talk about exceptional cases when the body does not absorb the pigment. This happens very rarely and forces the immediate removal of the tattoo.

Is it difficult to remove permanent makeup?

It is difficult to independently determine the possibility of removing a tattoo - only a specialist will answer this question after assessing the situation. However, almost any tattoo can be removed by choosing the optimal type of removal.

The key to the decision is the pigment used in the tattoo. Permanent eye makeup is removed faster than other areas. The maximum effect can be achieved after 2-3 procedures. Eyebrow and lip tattoo removal may require more sessions. At the same time, when the permanent is removed from the eyelid area, the color becomes lighter each time. And when removed from other zones, it may first darken, and only then, over time, begin to brighten.

The current methods of cosmetic tattoo removal are laser and remover.

Laser tattoo removal

To date, there are different types of laser devices that differ in efficiency, capabilities, have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, laser tattoo removal is widely used in cosmetology.

The frequency of procedures depends on the depth of pigment injection, its composition and color. It may take as little as 2 sessions to remove recent permanent makeup. But to remove a very old blue tattoo or tattoo - from 5 procedures. The exact number of sessions required will be told by the master after assessing the situation.

The laser is very effective primarily in relation to the dark colors of the pigment: brown, blue, gray. Its effectiveness in removing dark tones reaches 98%. No other withdrawal method can give such a high rate. At the same time, the laser is absolutely not effective in working with light shades: white, flesh, yellow, green. In such cases, it is better to use a different method of removal or combine it with a laser.

Despite the high efficiency, in rare cases, scars can form due to the laser. Especially if there is a predisposition to the formation of keloid scars. Also, scars are possible when removing pigment in the back of the head, chest, shoulders.

Every experienced master will tell you that you can not repeat the procedure more than once a month. During this period, the skin has time to recover and heal. The period may increase - removal can be done once every 2 months, once every six months, as you like. But if you part and do the removal several times a month, then the probability of severe skin damage and negative consequences is very high.

Remover removal

A remover is a chemical-based product that can break down pigment and remove it naturally. The removal process with a remover is very similar to the permanent makeup procedure. But instead of pigment, the master picks up a remover with a needle and introduces it to the desired depth to the pigment. The obvious advantage of the method is that the composition is introduced exclusively according to the pattern, in no way affecting neighboring skin areas. The remover is very effective in relation to light shades (when working with which the laser is absolutely ineffective). This is the only way to bring out white, flesh, yellow, green.

The advantages of the method include:

• Fairly low cost with a small number of tattoo removal procedures;
• The disintegration of the pigment begins already during the procedure;
• The maximum effect is after 30 days.

But there is also a minus. The product damages all layers of the skin through which it passes. This causes peeling. In addition, the procedure is painful for people with hypersensitivity.

Among the disadvantages :

• Contraindications: HIV, hepatitis, pregnancy, diabetes mellitus;
• Requirements for careful skin care after the procedure with the use of special ointments and the exclusion of wetting the area;
• There is a possibility of an allergy to the composition of the remover.

The remover is not recommended for removing permanent make-up of the eyelids. One awkward movement of the master - and the chemical composition will get into the eye, which will lead to complications. The procedure requires professionalism and precision.

These methods are the most relevant in the matter of pigment removal. And we repeat again - permanent makeup masters should be trained in different ways of removing tattoos or tattoos in order to become a real professional in this matter. So you protect yourself, your customers, their appearance and health.