The Facts About Cosmetic Permanent Makeup

Woodstock Weekend warrior
As a means of producing designs that resemble makeup and offer to add smoked eye lines, fullness of color to lips, hairlike strokes for fuller eyebrows, rosy cheeks, and scar camouflaging, cosmetic permanent makeup dates back at least to the start of the 20th century and today promises that one can work all day, go to the gym, dance all night, and wake up in the morning with makeup in place all the while saving hundreds of dollars a year on traditional cosmetic products. The process itself, called micro-pigmentation, involves implanting pigment made from vegetable products into the dermal layer of the skin making it a cosmetic tattoo.

There are many tattoo artist who offer the procedure, but there are also many businesses and training programs that specialize in the delicate techniques. Choosing a technician or artist is critical and a person would want to select someone who has experience and an understanding of the natural structures of the face. When done by a adept technician or a skillful artist the technique is generally safe.

In the United States the inks used in cosmetic permanent makeup and the pigments in these inks are subject to Food and Drug Administration regulation as cosmetics and color additives. The FDA considers the inks used in tattoos including cosmetic permanent makeup to be cosmetics and considers the pigments used in the inks to be color additives requiring pre-market approval under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act. As with any tattoo, cosmetic permanent makeup may have complications. Possible complications may include allergies to the pigments, scaring, granulomas, skin cracking, peeling, blistering , and infection. Recommendations aside from finding a reputable artist include doing a patch test as occasionally once the pigment is fully applied the color may be slightly different than expected. Also if you get an allergic reaction, you are dealing with a large prominent surface area that is not easily concealed.

The procedure is not necessarily intended to replace cosmetics completely, however few who have had the procedure report needing additional makeup. cosmetic permanent makeup can be especially beneficial for those who have allergies to traditional cosmetics, have completed chemotherapy, have had some features taken away by misfortune, have motor impairments, or for the busy person who is tired of fussing with makeup throughout the day. It is also great for the athlete and outdoor person who does not want to look bare as well as for those with oily skin for whom topical makeup tends to disappear after a short time. Permanent makeup is sometimes referred to as "semi-permanent makeup" because it won't smear or rub off and can last for many years, but may need maintenance as facial features change due to age or pigmentation fades due to absorption or sun exposure.

Makeup mirrors, brushes, mascaras, eye shadows, makeup curlers, hygienic napkins, and many other cosmetics gets smeared, get in the eyes and can look a mess. A good permanent makeup artist will redefine and shape the natural features of the face and accentuate the beauty that is already there without the concern of daily, weekly, or even monthly touching-ups.

Lips can achieve a defined line or full lip color that makes lips appear symmetrically shaped and fuller. Often minimal swelling occurs only to go away after a couple of days. Lip color augmentation is perfect for asymmetrical lips, thin lips or lips with uneven borders.

With eyebrow tattooing the options are a fill-in (if the client has hair already) or individual hairline strokes (for those who have lost their eyebrows, due to Alopecia for example). Eyebrows that are too light, too thin, too sparse or nonexistent can be beautifully enhanced and improved with micro-pigmentation.

The object with permanent makeup is to put the right color in the right place so you can look better naturally. For some this procedure is done to enhance reconstructive surgery to simulate natural pigmentation because the color is placed in your skin and not on your skin to achieve softer and more natural results.

Permanent makeup is used for a variety of enhancements and is revolutionizing the world of cosmetics. Permanent makeup is a relatively safe procedure that enhances your natural beauty and relieves you from everyday makeup application while being beneficial for people who are active and want to save time, have allergies to other cosmetics, have limited eyesight or motor skills, have Alopecia or hair loss resulting from illness, or have visible scars.

5 Comments

Post a Comment
  • Kate Ciampi8/10/2008

    I appreciate the work and research in this article and the associated comments. I would like to state that the pigments/inks used in any form of tattooing are not derived from vegetables even though the term organic is used in some. Also, the practice of doing a skin test of the pigment is questionable. First, in order to have an allergic response to anything, you have to have had prior exposure, otherwise count on it taking at least 10 days to be able to become allergic to it. Next, while allergies to tattoo pigments are very rare, these allergic reactions are not commonly seen until about 6 months down the road. Also, what tattoo artist is licensed to diagnose an allergic response to a skin test?

  • Liza Sims8/9/2008

    >The Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals is the best place to begin when looking for a technician. They are the largest member supported non-profit organization in the permanent cosmetics industry. Their website is www.spcp.org

    In closing I would again like to say that your article is very good. "The object with permanent makeup is to put the right color in the right place so you can
    look better natural" could not be better stated. Thank you.
    LiZa Sims, CPCP
    www.cosmetictatoo.com

    (my apologies for my comments reading backwards)

  • Liza Sims8/9/2008

    ..allergic reactions were and are once again extremely rare. I have been performing permanent cosmetics for 21 years, have performed thousands of procedures and have yet to experience an allergic reaction.
    >Applying a lip cosmetic tattoo with the intent of making the lips look much fuller should be avoided. The lips have a 'ridge' at the border and women lose their lip color as they age. Redefining that ridge and possibly defining the outermost area of that ridge works well to restore the lip fullness that one loses over time, but to apply lip color far outside the lip ridge almost always is a bad idea. Doctors now perform beautiful lip augmentation with safe products and if a woman desires bigger lips, the best course is to have the lips pigmented utilizing the natural ridge of the vermillion border, which supplies the Doctor with the perfect template to follow for the augmentation.

  • Liza Sims8/9/2008

    Good article. I would like to offer a few of my own thoughts and I thank you for your consideration.
    >Never allow anyone to perform Cheek Blush with permanent cosmetics. It is likely to be a disaster down the road, it can end up resembles rosacea by breaking superficial capillaries in the skin. Also the presence of titanium dioxide in the pigments may preclude the client from certain skin services in the future.
    >"Semi" permanent is a misnomer, if color is place in the skin by use of needles, it must be considered permanent, as the process can never be fully reversed and although the color will fade over the years, the molecules still remain in the skin. The term 'semi permanent' should be applied only to long lasting topical cosmetics that stain the skin but can be removed.
    >the complications mentioned here were associated with one single manufacturer in 2003-2004 and have since been discontinued. Before and since the incidents involving this particular manufacturer, allergic react

  • Pikie3/20/2008

    Wow--very well written article--you did your research. I had a large mole removed in my eyebrow area leaving 1/2 eyebrow. I had permanent eyebrows tattooed at a plastic surgeons office and am very pleased with the results. I'm adding you as a favorite.

Displaying Comments

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.