What You Need To Know Before Getting Permanent Makeup

Ever watched a film and wished you had the superpower of the lead star to roll out of bed every morning with a full face of glam? What about all the times you were too lazy to remove your makeup after an absolute knockout of a night? Or the days you were running late and wished your makeup would magically do itself? The art of micro-pigmentation has turned all these surreal what-ifs into reality. With the competence of traditional body tattoos, permanent makeup has expanded the scope of beauty by cosmetically enhancing people's desired features. Per Huntington Academy, one of its earliest records dates back to the early 20th century, when it was employed as a practice to boost the natural blush of cheeks by a tattoo artist in London. 

Permanent makeup intends to aestheticize the human face by upgrading its best parts, in a manner of speaking — whether you consider that part to be your eyes that just need lining or your cheeks that are only missing a few sweet freckles. Even though it isn't as eternal as it claims to be, permanent makeup warrants careful discretion before you get it done. Because as dermatologist Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal puts it, "when it comes to the face you put forward each day to the world, you want to make sure you've fully and carefully considered the commitment you're really making" (via Cleveland Clinic). So before you go ahead and book yourself a session, scroll through this permanent makeup checklist. 

From eyes to lips, permanent makeup covers just about every base on the face that people usually touch up on the daily. Driven by popularity on TikTok — where most beauty trends first win approval today — microblading has emerged as one of the most sought-after permanent makeup procedures, raking in billions of views on the social media platform. The process is only minimally painful — akin to tweezing your eyebrows — and the cosmetic change allows for your eyebrows to take on a thicker shape that will last you for a good couple of years. "Some like the idea of perfecting their base look with permanent makeup and then building with topical makeup for a more glamorous look," permanent makeup wiz Kendra Bray says, explaining the rising craze for permanent makeup (via Byrdie).

You can go ahead and complement your new set of eyebrows with permanent eyeliner or an eyelash lift to save yourself the everyday hassle of achieving that on-fleek lash line. Lip blushing or lip tattooing is another fashionable enhancement technique, perfect for people seeking a fuller pout. The best part? "The color we use is really up to the individual," makeup guru Christopher Drummond tells Glamour. In the context of your whole face being an acceptable canvas, the market also offers permanent concealer procedures, though many experts caution against it (via Elle). Developments in the industry have also made scar camouflaging possible today. 

Prepping for permanent makeup actually begins a few days in advance of your appointment. For starters, your tattoo artist or aesthetician should be informed about any medical conditions you have, so they can determine if you are eligible to be safely inked. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are not advised to undergo permanent makeup procedures, per Dana Depta. Also, certain medications, supplements like retinol, and other cosmetic regimens like tanning or botox aren't entirely compatible with permanent makeup; consult a professional to help determine the period of time you will have to abstain from using them. During your appointment week, your makeup artist should ideally run a patch test to ascertain any risk of allergies.

"Expertise, artistry, proper care, and advanced knowledge of the skin will give the patient the lowest risk of complications," dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban notes (via Allure). Most permanent makeup sessions take anywhere between an hour and three, depending on the procedure. Daly Beneche, pro permanent makeup artist and founder of Arch Angels NYC, explains that getting a permanent eyeliner would first require the artist to draw the desired stroke before getting down to work with "a digital machine to pixelate the pigment into the skin" (via InStyle). Tiny incisions are made where pigments are deposited, and the process is repeated a few times to set the color. Your choice of makeup could also have your artist use a bunch of needle configurations throughout the process, per Elle.  

Think of permanent makeup more as face tattoos and less as face paint. Unlike your daily wear lip liner or concealer that deposits color on your skin's surface, permanent makeup uses a more complex mechanism that involves injecting color into your skin's dermis with a needle. Naturally, that would leave you with some kind of sensation. Per Healthline, the root cause of pain stems from the needle or blade making cuts in the skin. Microblading, for instance, could give you the impression of being lightly scratched. While your threshold for pain will ultimately underscore your experience, experts contend that getting permanent makeup doesn't cause gut-wrenching pain. Makeup artist Brenda Ton has catered to clients who claim "they could sleep through the entire procedure with me" and describes eyeliner tattooing as "a slight tickle on the lashes but not much else" (via Byrdie).

That said, certain tattoo regions and techniques beget more discomfort than others. A manual makeup tool may hurt more than a sophisticated machine. Meanwhile, lip blushing could cause relatively higher pain since the mouth region is super sensitive, per micro-pigmentation magician Jackie David (via Elle). As a general rule, most establishments will anesthetize the target area with a numbing cream before getting down to work. David cautions against using numbing injections that could alter the constitution of your face. Also, avoid intake of coffee or alcohol for 24 hours before your makeup appointment to avoid compromising your pain tolerance. 

Aftercare is exceptionally important to ensure longevity and quality of your permanent makeup. Keeping that glam fresh all day, every day will require you to make certain changes to your lifestyle for a while. You may feel the presence of your new enhancement on your face — scabbing, pigment darkening, and itching are typical side-effects, per InStyle — but avoid fussing around the tattooed area too much. It should take about a week for the pigments to settle naturally into your face. To help the healing process, put away your regular makeup kit for a few days until its permanent counterpart works its magic. Also, avoid public swimming pools, sun exposure, and harsh skincare products during this period, advises makeup professional Anna Kara's studio. 

Broadly, there are two schools of aftercare: dry healing and wet healing. While the former traditionally instructs clients to keep their makeup dry at all times, the latter — which many experts argue is the more hygienic method — involves gentle cleansing with water and mild soap, followed by the application of reparative ointment (via Tina Davies Studio). The latter approach is said to prevent the buildup of bacteria. Though the bulk of aftercare will be in your own hands, your makeup will demand to be touched up after six weeks. Per Instyle, Ophthalmologist Dr. Glen K. Goodman suggests obtaining "a formal post-operative appointment schedule and a written description of the specific product(s) applied" from your tattoo artist. 

The permanent makeup industry has made great strides in cosmetic enhancement. It's no longer restricted to traditional beautification, like the elongation of lashes or the blushing of cheeks. Modern-day requirements have compelled salons and parlors to offer new services that can also cover up aberrations, unwanted scars, or other blemishes on the body. Scar camouflage or reconstruction, as the process is called, comes under the umbrella of permanent makeup that uses pigments close to your natural skin tone to smooth over your desired target area, per Aedit. Restorative tattoo artist Nicole Johnston emphasizes that a scar should get at least a couple of years of healing time before being camouflaged with makeup: "Any type of surgery scar can be camouflaged, what matters most is how the scar healed," she says.

This procedure works best upon lighter scars, while hyper-pigmented ones like purple or blue may not respond too well. In such a case, expert recommendation posits you get a lightening laser treatment before opting for a camouflage, according to expert artist Dominique Bossavy (via Allure). People with conditions like vitiligo, those who have undergone a mastectomy, and even those with stretch marks, are known to avail of this state-of-the-art service. While camouflaging procedures have the advantage of lasting longer than other permanent face makeup, Bossavy cautions that if not done carefully with the right pigments, the restoration may backfire and actually end up highlighting the scar even more.