Frequently Asked Questions - General

Permanent makeup, also known as permanent cosmetics or micropigmentation, is ink or pigment typically used to give the look of everyday cosmetics—most often eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, or lip color. Like tattoos, the ink is placed deep in the skin, making it permanent.

Anyone who is confident in the look they want long-term and wants to shave time off their morning routine may find it worth the investment.

Permanent makeup procedures usually take two to three hours, depending on how many areas you’re having done. This is followed by a shorter follow-up visit, about a month later, to evaluate results, check the healing process, and apply touch-ups.

Most people experience some discomfort during the permanent makeup procedure. Many providers will offer to apply a topical anesthetic to help with the pain, and it’s normal for minor bleeding to occur. 

The pigment application is performed with a specialty handheld device, a traditional tattoo coil machine, a pen or rotary machine, or a handheld device.

For permanent eyebrows: The most common technique used for creating full eyebrows is microblading. This treatment is actually semi-permanent, unlike many other cosmetic tattoos, and you’ll need a follow-up shortly after your first visit.

During microblading, your provider will first sketch out your new brows. Then they’ll go over the lines with a small device that uses several tiny needles to inject pigment into the top layer of your skin. This results in fine lines of pigment that resemble individual hairs.

For permanent lip liner: The permanent makeup artist will tattoo a line around the border of your lips in order to give them a more defined look. The lip liner works in tandem with shading done to the actual lips, to enhance the illusion of fullness. Some artists will shade down to the middle of the lips for a blended effect. The color you choose can be natural, or you can match a shade of lipstick you’ll be comfortable with permanently.

For permanent lip color: Lip blushing is another semi-permanent technique, similar to microblading, that promises a lip tint lasting up to two years. Intended to give a more natural look, lip blushing involves shading, lining, and pixelating the lips to achieve the desired color. 

First, a topical numbing cream is applied. Then, similar to how a tattoo artist uses shading, your provider will use a variety of needles to achieve the proper effect. Your lips will probably look darker than you intended, but you’ll lose a good deal of color after about a week. You’ll likely need at least one touch-up.

The simple answer is, anyone that wants to have full, beautiful brows all day, every day! That would include busy parents or business people who don’t have much time to apply brow make up, active people who don’t want to worry about sweating off makeup while working out or swimming, or any person who struggles with getting that perfect shape that the celebrities and YouTube makeup artists always seem to have. Other clients include Cancer survivors, those suffering from scarring, Trichotillomania, Alopecia, or other diseases and disorders that have led to natural hair loss. Some medical conditions and medications can affect your results. Please check with your doctor as well as your PMU artist before scheduling if you have any questions.

Taking blood thinners, skin irritations near the area such as sunburns, Psoriasis, taking sun sensitizing medications (including but not limited to Retinol/Retin-a/vitamin A) – these need to be stopped at least 2 weeks before the appointment. Botox within last 2 weeks, Accutane within last year, history of keloid scarring, Auto-immune deficiencies, people suffering from severe acne. Pregnant or nursing women should discuss with their doctor first. People with conditions that cause them to bleed very easily. People with prior permanent makeup may need a removal done first - his is determined by consultation  scheduled before booking a service. 

No! We will shape your eyebrows as needed with threading, shaving and/or tweezing and choose a color pigment that blends seamlessly with your natural brows. If you have a lot of brow hair it may be useful to have your brows waxed several days before your appointment – but that is optional. 

Every client is different and pain tolerance varies by client. Most clients describe the pain level as minimal and find tweezing and threading more uncomfortable. We use the best topical lidocaine cream available to minimize discomfort. That being said, this is a still a tattoo. You will typically feel some discomfort. Based on experience, we would describe the feeling a slight burning, astringent like sensation. Very tolerable and worth it!  

The process takes approximately 2-3 hours from the moment you walk in the door to completion. The first hour or so is spent designing your new brows/lip and numbing the area. There is no downtime! Occasionally, some clients will have some slight redness and swelling around the area which is very normal and will subside within a couple of hours at most a couple of days. Most clients go on about their normal day when they leave their appointment.   

Some swelling and tenderness after the procedure is normal and may last a day or so, depending on the client. Your new brows will appear DARKER, WIDER, AND SHARPER than the way they will heal. This is especially true for days 2-5. This is harder for some clients than others. Clients who rarely wear makeup may find that they don't like how their brows look on these days because they are “too intense“. That's normal - Trust the Process! The pigment is sitting on top of the skin and has not yet settled into your face. As your skin heals over the tattoo, your brows with lighten and soften. This process takes about 7-14 days or so on average. It’s important to follow all after care instructions and to attend the required follow up appointment to make the finishing touches to your new brows. Your healing is only about 50% in our control. Once you leave it's up to you to be diligent about following the instructions you're given to get the best result! And no matter how great they look, it's important to come for your touch up appointment to get the final result. This is a 2 step process, so even if you have some things you want to tweak after the first appointment, no worries! We will continue to work on your brows at your touch up.  

This will vary by client. If aftercare instructions are followed diligently, your new brows will last approximately 12-24 months on average before they're mostly faded; 18 months is average. For some people, their brows will last even longer, and some less. Certain factors such as sun exposure and tanning beds, getting chemical peels, oily skin type, bleeding, etc., will affect whether your brows will last on the higher or lower end of the expected 12-18 months. We recommend one touch up per year to keep them fresh. Coming more often increases the risk for scar tissue or causing your brows to look unnatural.   

Depending on which technique you choose, will depend on how natural they look. Microblading/Nano Brows creates a realistic, simulated hairlike stroke. Ombre (also known as Powder Brows) and Combination techniques will fill in the brows for a more makeup looks just like a real eyebrow with makeup. Your brows can be as big and bold or as soft and subtle as you like! What if my brows are fading faster than I’d like? We will revisit aftercare and lifestyle to make sure that is not the issue. If not, it’s likely that you need to go darker and/or fuller at your touch ups. 

When a laser is used for removal, all of the removed ink is absorbed into the body. with saline removal, most of the ink is lifted up through the surface of the skin and expelled. 

Each laser machine only emits certain wavelengths of light, which means that certain machines can only break up specific colors of ink. Saline removal is not color specific – it works on all colors. 

When utilizing saline technique for brow pigment removal, you can ensure your brows won’t turn black, which laser has the potential to do. your brow hair will also remain intact. laser tattoo removal often eliminates the hair on your brows and it may or may not ever grow back. 

Buyer beware of “unlimited” laser removal packages; there is a reason for this. laser removal tends to be an arduous process, taking a number of treatments, thereby increasing risk of molecular change and scarring to the area. saline removal tends to be far more efficient in amount of ink removal per session, thereby less damage to the skin overall.

Other than a tummy tuck, or the literal removal of skin, there is no proven way to remove stretch marks. The Stretch Mark Camouflage Tattoo only helps to conceal and diminish the appearance of stretch marks so that they are less perceptible to the naked eye. Think of it as having a permanent filter, taking away the white contrast of your scars. 

Congratulations on your pregnancy, but unfortunately, we are unable to treat women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. We look forward to treating you once your little one is weaned and your scars have been fully healed (usually within two years). 

Generally, yes! However, there are a small number of people who the treatment would not be suitable for. Your stretch marks and scars need to be at least two years old, lighter than your skin tone and completely healed. Booking a consultation can help determine if you’re a candidate for this procedure and is required for all clients.  

Your camouflaged stretch marks and scars will not change color. If you tan, your skin’s overtone will darken, but your stretch marks will remain the same color as your natural skin-toned ink tattoo. Overall, your stretch marks will still be camouflaged because the “white” is no longer there. In short, there’s less of an obvious contrast.