Permanent makeup

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Permanent makeup: before, immediately after, and healed - brow, eyeliner, and lip procedures Composite permanent makeup.jpg
Permanent makeup: before, immediately after, and healed – brow, eyeliner, and lip procedures

Permanent makeup, also known as permanent cosmetics, derma-pigmentation, micro-pigmentation, semi-permanent makeup and cosmetic tattooing, [1] is a cosmetic technique which employs tattooing techniques to replicate the appearance of traditional makeup. By implanting pigments into the dermis, long-lasting designs are created such as eye liner, eyebrows, and lip color. This procedure appeals to a diverse range of people; from those who want to make their daily routines more simple to individuals with medical conditions. By eliminating the need to apply traditional makeup regularly, permanent makeup has become a very convenient and effective solution. More than an aesthetic technique, permanent makeup plays a crucial role in procedures of reconstructive type.

Contents

Permanent makeup has evolved from a tattooing practice to a more widely accepted, sophisticated procedure. It has become very popular, not only because of its cosmetic advantages but also for its convenience and enhancing quality of life. However, it does come with risks. Complications include allergic reactions, migration of pigment, or even infections, which underscore the importance of high-quality materials and skilled technicians

As permanent makeup gradually gained popularity, its safety concerns, regulatory challenges, and options for removal also attracted attention. Whether selected for restoration, convenience, or other reasons, this technique represents a blend of science, personal care, and aesthetics.

History

The most widely documented first use of permanent makeup treatment was done by the famous U.K. tattoo artist Sutherland MacDonald. [2] In 1902, at his parlor, #76 Jermyn Str., London, he "perfected his method of giving a lasting complexion of the utmost delicacy to pale cheeks." [3] The tattooist George Burchett, a major developer of the technique in the 1930s, described in his memoirs how beauty salons tattooed many women without their knowledge, offering it as a "complexion treatment... of injecting vegetable dyes under the top layer of the skin." [4] [5] Permanent makeup became much more commonplace beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, when it was used to address hair and pigment loss due to disease, [6] and now it is considered very normal. [7]

Usage

Reasons for application

One may opt for permanent makeup for a plethora of reasons. For some, it can replace the daily application of traditional makeup products in favor of a more lasting solution. [8] This is especially useful for older women whose eyesight might not be good enough to apply the makeup [9] or who have degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's which severely limits motor ability. [6] Others may have the procedure to restore color areas that have lost it due to disease. This includes micro pigmentation for people with alopecia and vitiligo, and areola recoloring for breast cancer patients. Permanent makeup is also a common practice in some African cultures, who use certain tattoos to signify status. [7] [10]

Some of the most common permanent makeup procedures for Americans are eyebrows and eyeliner. However, other types of permanent makeup include:

Results

As with any tattoo, there are cases of undesired results, whether that be from the initial application or degradation over time. [11] Since this is the case, patients should come in with realistic expectations of what the makeup will look like. [9] One factor that heavily influences how the cosmetic tattoo looks is skin tone. This is because the same color may look different on different skin tones. Another factor that affects the appearance of these tattoos is sun exposure and lifestyle, which can fade the tattoos. [12]

Technician information

As with any occupation, permanent makeup technicians need to complete required training in order to practice, although these requirements vary from state to state. The average technician completes an apprenticeship around nine months in length; however, certification programs vary from a single day to four years. [1] [9] Once they complete their certification, the technician must submit various documents, including proof of certification, apprenticeship, and insurance, before practicing. [9]

Permanent cosmetics technicians are urged to comply with “standard precautions” and a uniform code of safe practice while performing cosmetic tattooing procedures. [13] [14] This includes assessing whether the patient should receive permanent makeup at all and informing adequately informing them about the risks associated with the practice. [9]

Adverse effects and health complications

In a study done regarding the possible complications of permanent makeup, the most common side effects were itching, redness, and the occasional swelling, all of which tended to heal after a few days. [15] While uncommon, permanent makeup can potentially come with more serious complications, including allergic reactions to the pigments, infection, granulomas, keloids, bleeding, crusting, loss of eyelashes, or general damage to the tattooed area. [11] [16] Although properly trained technicians will maintain sterile conditions during application, [17] the use of unsterilized tattooing instruments may also infect the patient with serious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.

On very rare occasions, people with permanent makeup have reported swelling or burning in the affected areas when they underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). [18] Nevertheless, most such cases indicated that poor quality pigments, pigments adulterated with heavy metals, and pigments with diamagnetic properties may have been the causative factors. [19] [20] Permanent makeup can also reportedly affect the quality of an MRI image, however, complications can be avoided as long as medical professionals are previously informed. [11]

In the United States, the inks used in permanent makeup are subject to approval as cosmetics by the Food and Drug Administration. While certain pigments in tattoos lack FDA approval for use in permanent cosmetics, competing public health priorities and lack of safety problems have consequently caused loose regulations around what color pigments tattoo inks can contain. Thus, there is little regulation on the type of inks used, with some pigments not approved for skin contact or refined only to an industrial-grade level, i.e. printers’ ink, automobile paint, etc.. [21]

If a tattooist lacks proper training, patients run the risk of the artist injecting the ink too deep into their skin, causing the pigment to migrate into the surrounding tissue. As a result, the makeup may appear blurry and lack definition for thin line work. [11] Due to their lymphatic distribution, older patients may have an increased risk for pigment migration following permanent eyelash makeup, [22] Although migration is generally avoidable by not over-working swollen tissue. Removing migrated pigment is a difficult and complicated process, so it must be avoided if possible. [23]

Removal

As with tattoos, permanent makeup can be difficult, or even impossible, to remove. [12] Common techniques used for this are laser tattoo removal, dermabrasion (physical or chemical exfoliation), and surgical removal. [23] Different types of chemical removals have also become a popular option for permanent makeup removal.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tattoo</span> Skin modification using ink to create designs

A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes and techniques, including hand-tapped traditional tattoos and modern tattoo machines. The history of tattooing goes back to Neolithic times, practiced across the globe by many cultures, and the symbolism and impact of tattoos varies in different places and cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic surgery</span> Medical surgical specialty

Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction, or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery covers a wide range of specialties, including craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of burns. This category of surgery focuses on restoring a body part or improving its function. In contrast, cosmetic surgery focuses solely on improving the physical appearance of the body. A comprehensive definition of plastic surgery has never been established, because it has no distinct anatomical object and thus overlaps with practically all other surgical specialties. An essential feature of plastic surgery is that it involves the treatment of conditions that require or may require tissue relocation skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanocytic nevus</span> Benign skin tumor of pigment-producing cells

A melanocytic nevus is usually a noncancerous condition of pigment-producing skin cells. It is a type of melanocytic tumor that contains nevus cells. A mole can be either subdermal or a pigmented growth on the skin, formed mostly of a type of cell known as a melanocyte. The high concentration of the body's pigmenting agent, melanin, is responsible for their dark color. Moles are a member of the family of skin lesions known as nevi, occurring commonly in humans. Some sources equate the term "mole" with "melanocytic nevus", but there are also sources that equate the term "mole" with any nevus form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmetics</span> Substances applied to the body to change appearance or fragrance

Cosmetics are composed of mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes, including personal and skin care. They can also be used to conceal blemishes and enhance natural features. Makeup can also add colour to a person's face, enhance a person's features or change the appearance of the face entirely to resemble a different person, creature, or object.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a technology used by cosmetic and medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes, including hair removal, photorejuvenation as well as to alleviate dermatologic diseases such as acne. IPL is increasingly used in optometry and ophthalmology as well, to treat evaporative dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyebrow</span> Facial feature

An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, communication through facial expression, and second, prevention of sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket. It is common for people to modify their eyebrows by means of hair removal and makeup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laser hair removal</span> Process of hair removal by exposure to laser pulses

Laser hair removal is the process of hair removal by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It had been performed experimentally for about twenty years before becoming commercially available in 1995–1996. One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998. Laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Threading (epilation)</span> Method of hair removal

Threading is a method of hair removal originating in India and Iran. It has gained popularity in Western countries, especially with a cosmetic application.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical tattoo</span> Type of tattooing

A medical tattoo is a tattoo used to treat a condition, communicate medical information, or mark a body location for treatment. People may get a paramedical tattoo to conceal a condition or the effects of treatment, such as creating the appearance of an areola after breast reconstruction, or a cover-up tattoo to disguise the area in an artistic way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypopigmentation</span> Area of skin becoming lighter than the baseline skin color

Hypopigmentation is characterized specifically as an area of skin becoming lighter than the baseline skin color, but not completely devoid of pigment. This is not to be confused with depigmentation, which is characterized as the absence of all pigment. It is caused by melanocyte or melanin depletion, or a decrease in the amino acid tyrosine, which is used by melanocytes to make melanin. Some common genetic causes include mutations in the tyrosinase gene or OCA2 gene. As melanin pigments tend to be in the skin, eye, and hair, these are the commonly affected areas in those with hypopigmentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UV tattoo</span> Tattoo made with dye only visible under blacklight

UV tattoos or blacklight tattoos are tattoos made with dyes that fluoresce visibly under a blacklight or other ultraviolet (UV) light source. Depending upon the tattoo ink used, an ultraviolet tattoo can be nearly invisible when illuminated only by light within the visible spectrum. Blacklight tattoo ink does not glow in the dark, but reacts to non-visible ultraviolet light, producing a visible glow by fluorescence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tattoo removal</span> Dermatologic procedure to remove tattoo pigments

Tattoo removal is the process of removing an unwanted tattoo. The process of tattooing generally creates permanent markings in the skin, but people have attempted many methods to try to hide or destroy tattoos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corneal tattooing</span> Tattoo located on the cornea of the bearers eye

Corneal tattooing is the practice of tattooing the cornea of the human eye. Reasons for this practice include improvement of cosmetic appearance and the improvement of sight. Many different methods and procedures exist today, and there are varying opinions concerning the safety or success of this practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tattoo ink</span> Ink used for tattoos

Tattoo inks consist of pigments combined with a carrier, used in the process of tattooing to create a tattoo in the skin. These inks are also used for permanent makeup, a form of tattoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liposuction</span> Surgery to remove unwanted fat

Liposuction, or simply lipo, is a type of fat-removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and does not appear to affect obesity-related problems. In the United States, liposuction is the most common cosmetic surgery.

Aesthetic medicine is a branch of modern medicine that focuses on altering natural or acquired unwanted appearance through the treatment of conditions including scars, skin laxity, wrinkles, moles, liver spots, excess fat, cellulite, unwanted hair, skin discoloration, spider veins and or any unwanted externally visible appearance. Traditionally, it includes dermatology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, reconstructive surgery and plastic surgery, surgical procedures, non-surgical procedures, and a combination of both. Aesthetic medicine procedures are usually elective. There is a long history of aesthetic medicine procedures, dating back to many notable cases in the 19th century, though techniques have developed much since then.

A variety of health effects can result from tattooing. Because it requires breaking the skin barrier, tattooing carries inherent health risks, including infection and allergic reactions. Modern tattooists reduce such risks by following universal precautions, working with single-use disposable needles, and sterilising equipment after each use. Many jurisdictions require tattooists to undergo periodic bloodborne pathogen training, such as is provided through the Red Cross and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Jane Haake</span> American tattoo artist

Mary Jane Haake is an American tattoo artist and authority on medical tattooing and permanent makeup. She was instrumental in bringing topical anesthetics to the tattooing and body modification industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Process of tattooing</span> Overview of the process or technique of tattooing

The process or technique of tattooing, creating a tattoo, involves the insertion of pigment into the skin's dermis. Traditionally, tattooing often involved rubbing pigment into cuts. Modern tattooing almost always requires the use of a tattoo machine and often procedures and accessories to reduce the risk to human health.

Microblading is a tattooing technique which uses a small handheld tool made of several tiny needles to add semi-permanent pigment to the skin. Microblading differs from standard eyebrow tattooing, a form of permanent makeup, as each hair stroke is created by hand with a blade that creates fine slices in the skin, whereas eyebrow tattoos are done with a tattoo machine. Microblading is used on eyebrows to create, enhance, or alter their appearance in shape and color. It deposits pigment into the upper region of the dermis, so it fades more rapidly than traditional tattooing techniques. Microblading is often referred to as eyebrow embroidery, eyebrow feathering, microstroking, 3D eyebrows, nanoblading or hair-like strokes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Industry Profile Study: Vision 2009". Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  2. ↑ "The man who started the tattoo craze in Britain is coming to a museum near you" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  3. ↑ "Tattoo trends: The inking of London from the Victorians to the present day". BBC News. 2016-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  4. ↑ Revolting Bodies: The Monster Beauty of Tattooed Women, Christine Braunberger, NWSA Journal Volume 12, Number 2
  5. ↑ "Lip Tattooing Is the Latest Fad". Moder Mechanix. January 1933. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  6. 1 2 Ellin, Abby (February 23, 2011). "Tattoos as Makeup? Read the Fine Print". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  7. 1 2 AlQuorain, Nada A.; Yousef, Haneen A.; AlJabre, Salih H.; AlAkloby, Omar M.; Al-Natour, Sahar H. (2017-07-01). "Cosmetic lip tattoo sequelae: A case report and review of literature". Journal of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery. 21 (2): 87–90. doi: 10.1016/j.jdds.2017.03.001 . ISSN   2352-2410.
  8. ↑ Ghafari, Ghazal; Newcomer, Jack; Rigali, Sarah; Liszewski, Walter (October 2024). "Permanent makeup: A review of its technique, regulation, and complications". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 91 (4): 690–698. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2024.01.098. PMID   38901732.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Wetzel, Christine L. (July–August 2012). "Permanent Cosmetics". Plastic and Aesthetic Nursing. 32 (3): 117–119. doi:10.1097/PSN.0b013e31826929c6. ISSN   2770-3509. PMID   22929199.
  10. ↑ De Cuyper, Christa (2008-01-01). "Permanent makeup: indications and complications". Clinics in Dermatology. 26 (1): 30–34. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2007.10.009. ISSN   0738-081X. PMID   18280902.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Commissioner, Office of the (2024-10-28). "Tattoos & Permanent Makeup: Fact Sheet". FDA.
  12. 1 2 "Guidelines – Semi-Permanent Makeup - Society for Permanent Cosmetic, Micropigmentation, Permanent Makeup, Microblading and Cosmetic Tattoo Professionals". www.spcp.org. Archived from the original on 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  13. ↑ "Members Code of Ethics & Conduct". CosmeticTattoo.org.
  14. ↑ "SPCP Code of Ethics - Society for Permanent Cosmetic, Micropigmentation, Permanent Makeup, Microblading and Cosmetic Tattoo Professionals". www.spcp.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  15. ↑ Tomita, Shoichi; Mori, Katsuya; Yamazaki, Hitomi; Mori, Kaori (2021-05-07). "Complications of permanent makeup procedures for the eyebrow and eyeline". Medicine. 100 (18): e25755. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000025755. PMC   8104296 . PMID   33950961.
  16. ↑ "The Pros and Cons of Permanent Makeup". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  17. ↑ "Permanent Makeup (Micropigmentation): Get Facts About Risk". MedicineNet. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  18. ↑ Franiel, Tobias; Schmidt, Sein; Klingebiel, Randolf (1 November 2006). "First-Degree Burns on MRI due to Nonferrous Tattoos". American Journal of Roentgenology. 187 (5): W556. doi:10.2214/ajr.06.5082. PMID   17056894.
  19. ↑ "Cosmetic Tattooing & MRI's - Diametric Particle Agitation Hypothesis (DPA)". CosmeticTattoo.org.
  20. ↑ SPCP Research into Tattooing and MRIs Archived 2014-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ Nutrition, Center for Food Safety and Applied (11 September 2020). "Products - Tattoos & Permanent Makeup: Fact Sheet". www.fda.gov.
  22. ↑ Wollina, Uwe; Goldman, Alberto (2014). "Severe unexpected adverse effects after permanent eye makeup and their management by Q-switched Nd:YAG laser". Clinical Interventions in Aging. 9: 1305–1309. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S67167 . PMC   4136952 . PMID   25143716.
  23. 1 2 "Tattoo Lasers: Overview, Histology, Tattoo Removal Techniques". Medscape. 2022-11-29.
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