Imagine you went to bed with your makeup on. Now picture the next morning and you can skip adding a drop of lipstick or an ounce of eyeliner and mascara to your face. You could sleep in and pop outta bed ready for the day with your makeup perfectly in place. Sound like every beauty junkie's fantasy? Well this life could be yours thanks to the art of permanent makeup.
Got a favorite color or signature makeup look? Permanent makeup could mean never having to part with your favorite shades ever again. Very similar to tattooing, the procedure involves a needle penetrating the top layers of skin to add a permanent pigmentation of dye color to lips, eyelids, even cheeks. With this procedure, beauty is truly skin deep.
With the obvious benefits of makeup you'll never have to wash off or reapply ever again, many women have flocked to get the treatment done. Popular treatments include eyeliner, eyebrows, and lipstick. Women have the choice between a variety of shades, which take about three weeks or so after the process to heal to the desired color. In a world of busy multitasking women, could this be the answer to looking your best in no time flat? Many happy customers say yes!
But as the numbers have surged, so too have the amount of sub par professionals who have helped to exacerbate the potential risks. The New York Times feature on the procedure reports issues of reused needles causing infections such as hepatitis, strep, and adverse reactions to the makeup dye. "We see thousands of faces being destroyed by people who don't get trained properly," said John Hashey to the Times. As the owner of a training school for permanent cosmetics, Hashey said that 90 percent of his business is fixing mistakes. Ouch!
So before going under the needle, there are definitely some things to consider. First, find a physician officially licensed with the Board of Health. Next, do your homework and ask to speak with previous patients and to see their results. Remember this is your face were talking about here.
And just as important, consider the commitment. Makeup is great, but there is something to be said for the beauty of skin in all its natural and imperfect glory. Plus, with the recent minimal makeup and nude trends, do you love a certain shade of lipstick or eyeliner style so much that you would sacrifice trying others? If you do opt for the tattooed route, do avoid applying fads that will come and go, leaving you in the dated trend dust. When in doubt, keep it classic....and safe!
Thinking about going the permanent makeup route? Let us know with a note below.
