Do You Tattoo? Permanent Cosmetics

What are permanent cosmetics, and why are women the world over trying it out? Find out more in this article about this special type of tattoo work.

“Want to see my tattoos? asks Clara, a fifty-year-old grandmother from San Antonio, Texas. She’s standing in the supermarket aisle, dressed casually in dark slacks and a plain cotton top. With her is her neighbor, who takes Clara shopping because she has multiple sclerosis and can’t get items off the shelves.

“You’re looking at them,” she says, winking. “My makeup. My eyeliner and lip color are tattoos, permanent makeup.”

Permanent makeup–also known as cosmetic tattooing or micropigmentation—is the process of applying pigments underneath the skin. This cosmetic approach was popular in ancient times and has enjoyed a comeback in recent years, and not, perhaps, for the reason you might think.

Who Gets Permanent Makeup?

In fact, Clara is just one of a growing number of women who get cosmetic tattoos because they have a physical disability or medical challenge. Women who have arthritis, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease, for example, which make it difficult for them to steady or move their hands, are turning to permanent makeup.

Lila, a twenty-six-year-old special education teacher who is legally blind, found that cosmetic tattooing made her feel better about herself. “I don’t have to rely on anyone else to put on my makeup for me,” she said. “No smudges and no worries. It’s great.”

Cosmetic tattooing is also helping women who have other vision problems, such as macular degeneration or cataracts; or who are allergic or hypersensitive to makeup. For women who have lost their hair because of chemotherapy or a medical condition called alopecia (loss of body hair), permanent eyebrows and eyeliner can restore self-esteem.

Charles Zwerling, MD, FACS, director of the American Academy of Micropigmentation, confirms that vanity is not the only reason people undergo cosmetic tattooing. “In the last ten years, some of the biggest growth in permanent cosmetics has been in the area of medical reconstruction,” says Zwerling.

The tattooing of areolas after breast reconstruction is one example. Gina Dwyer, of Tucson, Arizona, has done professional permanent cosmetics for about 15 years, including many areola tattoos. “Getting their areolas back is more exciting for these women than the reconstruction,” she says.

People who have patches where skin pigment is lost–a condition called vitiligo–also benefit from cosmetic tattooing. Dr. Zwerling explains that it is possible to blend skin tones with the surrounding normal-pigmented skin. It is also possible to “relax” scars, blending them into the surrounding skin tone.

Naturally, there are also women who chose permanent makeup for reasons of vanity and convenience. Entertainers, models, athletes, professional women, and other busy women find that the time they save each day is well worth the minimal pain and cost.

What To Expect

If you’re considering permanent makeup, first find a professional to do the procedure (see “Choosing a Professional” below). The procedure itself, regardless of the location of the tattoo, is basically the same. After receiving a topical anesthetic, a very fine needle is used to embed organic pigment, either iron oxide or titanium dioxide, just below the skin. The practitioner may use either a hand or mechanical instrument.

Pamela Netz, owner of a permanent cosmetic salon and a member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP), says hand tools seem to cause less pain and swelling. However, either type of instrument in the hands of a qualified professional can yield excellent results.

After the procedure is over, which generally takes one and one-half to two and one-half hours, here’s what you can expect, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons:

* Some swelling, redness, and bruising in the treated area for two to three days and up to a week if you had your lips tattooed. Tattooing around the eyes may cause tearing for several days. Apply antibiotic cream or ice to relieve symptoms.

* In rare cases, tattooing around the eyes causes the eyelashes to fall out, or pigment can be carried from the tattooed area to another part of the body.

* The color may be darker than desired for the first few months. Over time, sunlight usually fades the color to a more natural look. If you’re worried about safety, less than one percent of people who Have had micropigmentation in the last decade have reported an allergic reaction to the pigment, says Dr. Zwerling.

If you add up the money you won’t spend on makeup and factor in time saved, micro pigmentation is a bargain. The average cost per procedure is $400 to $600, while specialized work, such as relaxing a lesion, is usually charged by the hour, typically starting at $150 to $250 per hour.

But how permanent is permanent? Both regular light and sunlight can cause the colors to lighten over time. For some women, the color lasts for more than ten years without needing touchup. Touchups, when necessary, are less costly and take less time than the original procedure.

Choosing A Professional

You should shop for a permanent makeup technician as you would for a physician: ask questions.

* Ask candidates about their background and any continuing education they have completed.

* How much experience do they have in the type of procedure you want? Special training is needed for more complex procedures, such as facial blush and areola restoration.

* Are they certified, by whom, and what are the requirements? Do they belong to a professional organization?

* Ask to see a portfolio of their work, showing the procedure you want done.

Both the American Academy of Micropigmentation and the SPCP offer certification programs, which graduate laypeople and doctors who have received careful training. However, even people who are not certified may be skillful in permanent makeup, and not all practitioners are equally skillful in all procedures.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established standards for people who do cosmetic tattooing. Check the following:

* The working environment should be clean, free of all contaminants, including dust, smoke, and odors.

* New sterile needles and new gloves should be used for each client.

* Technicians should be professional and neat with short, clean nails.

* Ask about the type of anesthetic used.

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Permanent Makeup History

From MicroPigmentationCentre.com

Color History

Color for cosmetic use has been around for centuries, both for use on the surface of the skin as well as sub-surface. Archaeologists have evidence that Egyptian women used green ore of copper as an eye shadow as early as 5000 B.C. They also used henna to dye their hair, carmine to redden their lips and kohl to blacken their eyebrows, lids and lashes. Thousands of years ago it was common place for Indians to use saffron to tint their faces yellow and also to dye their feet, their cheeks and the tips of their tongues. In Asia Minor, women and men, smeared their faces with litmus and marshmallow and the Babylonians shaded their lips with red in the belief that the color would prevent demons from entering their bodies.

Mummies with tattoos intact, dating back thousands of years have been discovered not only in Egypt but throughout Europe, Siberia and other places, showing that not only has the practice been around for a long time but that it has been a world wide occurrence.

Until the middle of the nineteenth century all the colorants used in foods, drugs and cosmetics were obtained from natural sources which included animals, vegetables and minerals. It wasn't until 1856 when the first synthetic organic dyestuff was discovered which unleashed a host of new and different colorants which were available in a wider variety of shades, were stronger and more permanent and considered safer for use in foods and drugs. It was the Food & Drug Act of 1906 that finally placed controls on colors used in foods, drugs and cosmetics.

The Micro-Pigmentation Centre's pigment line, which is formulated in house from FDA approved ingredients, boasts 56 colors for cosmetic and medical tattooing. Specialized colors such as the Signature Series for Camouflage and for Areola colors are widely used in hospitals and by plastic surgeons post breast reconstruction. A large number of patients that are referred to the company are looking for assistance to correct colors that have changed in the skin, a fairly common occurrence. The Correction Series of pigments such as Grey Gone, Blue Buster for Lips, Red Out and Blue Brow Corrector have been specifically designed to neutralize and correct these changes.

As an international guest speaker at Esthetic Trade Shows and Permanent Make-up Conferences, and as an invited visitor to Plastic Surgeons meetings, Pat Gauthier has put aside many of the myths associated with pigment colors; what is approved for use and what is not approved. The information she shares provides an understanding on the cause and effect of how pigments interact with different skin types, why they fade and who are not candidates for tattooing.

Color theory and mixing formulation are covered in the company's standard training courses and discusses many color related issues such as the effects of melanin, the body's most important natural pigment, which influences skin tone and the final appearance of the procedure.

The company's widely successful advanced color management training course, "Color

through the Skin" was original designed for the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP) in the United States. The society contracted the Micro-Pigmentation Centre to develop a program that would enlighten their membership on cosmetic tattoo pigments and present it to them at their annual conference. They wanted the record set straight on Iron Oxides, Organics and Inorganic pigments and dispel any other misinformation that was being promoted throughout the industry.

What resulted was an educational forum that took on the structure of an interactive workshop and Power Point presentation designed and orchestrated to impress and educate even the most knowledgeable of technicians, tutor the newer members and in general ensure that everyone left with not simply new or different theories but with new, practical, hands on working knowledge and expertise.

The program was so well received and praised that it has since been integrated into the company's one day continued education training workshops and to date have been held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Equipment Evolution

Prior to electricity, the manual method to tattoo was used and in fairness, is still in use by many diehards to this day. The process lends itself more towards body art than cosmetic tattooing although some have made the transition. It uses a needle attached to a stick, generally bamboo, and it is tapped into the area either freehand or by being struck with another stick.

In the 1800's an electric machine was invented utilizing wrapped coils of copper which when energized allowed two contact points to move a bar holding a needle which oscillated the needle into the skin. For the most part the machine has not changed that drastically over the years and until recently it has been the preferred method for performing for both body and cosmetic tattooing.

The benefit of this style of machine when married with a proper power supply gave it all the muscle needed to successfully implant pigment to the correct depth with sufficient needle speed to be moderately comfortable on the client or patient. The negatives to this style of machine is the weight in that it is a relatively heavy unit to manipulate over a period. It is also very noisy having a high decibel rating which requires additional client management and third its antiquated design does not endear itself to the refined look of the Medical field or high tech Spas or Salons.

Enter the pen style machine in the early seventies which as history dictates owes its success more to its design than as an efficient tool. Originating in Taiwan it was brought to North America and sold into the aesthetic market allowing many people to enter the permanent make-up business. Considering what was available at the time its popularity is attributed to its physical design, lightness and quite operation, in effect, the total opposite of the two coil tattoo machine. Small and pristine, easily fitting into the small delicate hand of the majority of technicians it became the machine of choice to the unknowing. The downside speaks to the original comment in that it was the total opposite of the two coil unit. Whereas the two coil machine had the power to deposit the pigment to the correct depth, the pen does not. What results is a procedure that requires many touch-ups and a cosmetic tattoo that fades away.

For the conscientious technicians who attempt to make it work, they literally try to force the pigment into place, pushing down heavily on the machine which in turn causes trauma to the skin, abnormal bleeding and unneeded client pain and discomfort.

The original machine has been cloned by many manufacturers with different styles but unfortunately all with the same results. Some have promoted their product as a "semi-permanent make-up machine" which is a good marketing ploy to cover the shortcomings but not too comforting to the person without eyebrows who finally gets them only to loose them again, or the lady who underwent breast reconstruction with new areolas tattooed and then they fade away.

The world is controlled by computers for everything from a hand held BlackberryTM to the guidance systems on the Shuttle's Space Program. They are fast, accurate and they are reliable so it was only a matter of time that this industry would join the future.

The European market had digital tattoo machines for several years and the newest and latest to enter North America is the Nouveau Contour digitally controlled computerized tattoo machines. Made in Germany and sold and marketed through the Micro-Pigmentation Centre, these state of the art products bring together all of the power and qualities of the two coil tattoo machine plus the aesthetics of the pen style machine. Its appealing high tech design, light weight control and virtually noiseless operation is enhanced by the user's capability to control not only the speed of the needle but to maintain that speed and consistency under all types of skin conditions through the use of the onboard digitally controlled micro-processor.

Two models are available, the Digital 700 in medical white and the stainless steel "Intelligent" which is a more advanced design encompassing pre-set needle frequency selection buttons such as the "Medical" button for areola procedures, "Brow" button for eyebrows and so on. Both boast a patented needle design that comes in sterilized pouches, a design that prevents cross contamination and a needle that automatically retracts into the tube when the control is turned off. Pricing is commensurate with its performance, and the speed of operation cuts most procedures by 40% of the time which allows for a greater number of operations in a given day. Patient management is reduced considerably, the machine's speed of operations lessens the client's discomfort level and the professionally presented package ensures repeat business for other procedures.

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