Eyebrow tattooing, permanent eyeliner and lip pigmentation are attracting more and more women today, but are these makeup “surgeries” really safe?
Permanent makeup, good or bad idea?
These days, the latest cosmetic innovations like full lips and shapely eyebrows are all the rage. A quick trip to Instagram allows you to see the thousands of photos of women who have undergone operations to touch up their eyelashes, their eyebrows, or the color of their lips.
Sure, you can fine tune your eyebrows and lips just fine with a little more pencil or brow powder, but some will need longer lengths to find the perfect pout or brow.
So, faced with the natural approach, which consists of plumping everything up by using beauty products for the lips, eyelashes and skin, a trend is starting to gain ground: permanent make-up.
But what exactly is permanent makeup?
Permanent makeup can be defined as the art of implanting dyes or pigments in the first layer of the dermis of the skin to improve certain characteristics, most often the eyebrows, eyelashes and lips. It is generally performed by an electric needle dermograph, the tips of which are sterilized and disposable.
Some doctors do, but also many qualified technicians. Done with flawless precision, the procedure is pretty much the same as traditional tattooing. However, it is not painful because it is performed under local anesthesia.
Permanent makeup can also be used on the body to hide skin imperfections, such as stretch marks and surgical scars, or skin conditions such as vitiligo, cleft lip, alopecia.
The indisputable advantages of permanent makeup
Permanent makeup offers a number of benefits.
In general, women resort to this procedure to save time. Indeed, with the application of a permanent lipstick for example, you will no longer need to apply makeup in the morning. And the results are meant to be subtle. Indeed, the biggest difference between tattooing and permanent makeup is that unlike traditional real tattooing, permanent makeup should be kept a secret.
Permanent makeup also offers the advantage of being economical. The only investment is made during the operation. For the future, you will no longer need to buy classic makeup products; and this for 2 to 5 years.
Athletes also appreciate the concept of permanent makeup which allows them to stay perfect despite sweating.
Likewise, people with little cosmetics skills, who have their left hand to apply a lip contour, lipstick or eyeliner also adhere to permanent makeup.
This kind of permanent make-up is also of great help for people allergic to cosmetic products, or people who have movement disorders and who have difficulty putting on make-up correctly, especially those who have suffered a stroke. or who have a condition like Bell’s palsy.
The undeniable disadvantages of permanent make-up
Before you indulge in permanent makeup, you should know that the procedure also has its drawbacks.
The first sobering obstacle to permanent makeup is its cost. The intervention is indeed the most expensive and the amortization takes time.
Also over time, permanent make-up changes its appearance as the pigments gradually fade, until they completely disappear after 2 to 5 years. And nothing guarantees long term satisfaction.
Allergic reactions of varying severity, bothersome and almost disabling, can also occur after the operation, especially when the products used are not of natural origin.
The choice of the best specialist
The choice of the specialist who will perform the make-up is very important. Indeed, permanent makeup requires both “the hands of a surgeon and the eyes of an artist”. As in all sectors of activity, the field of permanent makeup is also invaded by charlatans and unscrupulous con artists. The profession is not regulated and does not require any particular qualifications, only your vigilance will work in your favor.
Before deciding on your choice, find out about hygiene and the equipment that will be used, but also about the options and possibilities for correcting and removing makeup. Also ask how many procedures the technician has under his belt, because the more he has practiced, the more experience he has gained with a well-established technique.
The proper use of local anesthesia to numb the pain, especially when working near delicate areas such as the lips and eyes, is essential as false movement due to pain can be very costly.
Besides the slight pain after the procedure, side effects are rare in a qualified technician or doctor supervising the care. The greatest risk is usually customer dissatisfaction with the outcome.
