What is Permanent Makeup?
Permanent Makeup is used when applying permanent cosmetic enhancements that include permanent eyebrows, eyeliner and lip liner/color. Permanent Makeup is a technique of applying micro insertions of natural pigments into the dermal layer of the skin. This method of Permanent Makeup is proven to be a totally safe method of permanent cosmetic enhancement.
Is It Painful?
Most people experience some discomfort. This will vary according to each individual’s pain threshold. There are different methods available, however, to help with discomfort management, including various topical anesthetics that are specifically developed for these procedures. We also use a specially formulated, topical anesthetic cream for numbing. To put this in perspective, thousands of body art tattoos are performed annually, possibly millions. As a rule, traditional tattoo professionals do not use any anesthetics for their tattoo procedures. Anesthetics for permanent cosmetics are more of a tattoo service luxury, because of the nature of the tattoo location and the fact that permanent cosmetics falls into the beauty treatment category.
Is It Safe?
Extend follows proper sterilization and disinfection guidelines making these permanent cosmetic procedures completely safe. Professionals in the permanent cosmetic industry routinely attend Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classes to become well versed on safety principals.
Do I have a choice of colors?
Yes, there is a wide selection of colors that you may choose from, as well as custom blended colors.
How Long Does Each Procedure Take?
The length of each procedure varies; there are records to establish; photographs to take; desired design and color to discuss; the procedure to perform; and the aftercare requirements to discuss. Follow up or color refresher procedures usually do not require the same amount of time.
Powder Brow: 2-2.5 hours
Nano combo: 3 hours
Lips: 3 hours
Perfecting Touch-ups: 1.5-2 hours
What If I Don’t Like It?
Although the procedure is considered permanent, these procedures do have flexibility in changing color and shape to some extent. Colors will appear darker immediately following the procedure but will soften and lighten during the healing process. The healing time is different for each individual and procedure. It’s very important to realize that often the new procedure represents something somewhat different; at times color where there was no color at all or very little. It takes time to become acclimated to a new look (very often this applies to eyebrows which were sparse and unnoticeable before the permanent cosmetic brow procedure.) Eyeliner color is more evident due to the contrast to the skin color. Lip color can take up to six weeks to reflect the final color. Be patient & don’t judge it while it is healing.
How long does it last?
The treatment is permanent. It will not wash off. However, due to the natural sloughing process of our skin, sun exposure, and use of cleansers it may need a touch-up in 2-3 years.
What is involved in recovery?
There may be slight swelling and redness of the skin, but it will subside quickly. Your normal activities can be resumed after the procedure. The complete recovery is approximately four weeks.
Are There Any Side Effects During or After the Procedure?
While eyebrows may show little after effect, eyeliner and lips may show slight to moderate swelling. This is very dependent upon the amount of work performed.As examples; a thin liner enhancement will show very little response to the tattooing procedure compared to a more moderate response when wide eyeliner is performed. The same philosophy applies to lip color procedures. A lip liner or blended lip liner will show less effects of the procedure than that of a full lip color. Also, some people swell more from minor skin infractions than others. During the procedure there may be some minor bleeding. This again, is client specific. Many people take blood thinners on a daily basis so some slight bleeding would be expected. Others show little or no signs of bleeding. Bruising is rare but again, if a person is on blood thinners, bruising could occur. What is seen more often is that eyebrows rarely if ever produce any bruising; minor bruising during eyeliner procedures is possible if the skin being tattooed is very thin and close to the vascular system. This also applies to lip procedures in the event the client is more mature. If bruising does occur, typically it is minor and subsides in a few days.There is usually some tenderness for a few days. The color is much darker than you may expect for the first six to ten days.
Other less often reported side effects are difficult to determine due to the individuality of each person’s biological system. This is why professional permanent cosmetic technicians require a client history profile be filled out to assess different factors that may contribute to your experience after the tattooing procedure has been completed.
Do The Pigments Pose Allergy Problems?
People can develop an allergy to anything, anytime; however, pigment allergies are considered rare. Some doctors recommend that people with environmental allergies or allergies to conventional makeup have permanent cosmetic procedures because they can replace cosmetic products that people are sensitive to. While allergic reactions to any type of tattooing pigments on the body or on the face through permanent cosmetics may occur at any point in time, they are extremely rare.