Does permanent makeup mean permanent beauty?

Women have always been seeking for perfection and it seems that this need for perfection has led to the development of permanent makeup. If you’re thinking about accentuating your features using this method, take a peek at the pros and cons of permanent makeup and find out if this technique is for you!

Permanent Makeup Pros and Cons

People have been obsessing over makeup and its instant beauty boosting powers and since it’s become basically a trend to conceal the flaws and enhance the features that make you feel fabulous, the need for new and innovative methods to apply makeup has led to the development of permanent makeup. This type of cosmetic procedure involves the use of a tattoo gun (similar to the one used for regular tattooing) to inject an ink into the skin to mimic the appearance of makeup. Just like with any cosmetic procedure, there are pros and cons to permanent makeup and because, as its name suggests, the effects are permanent, reflecting on whether the procedure is a match for you is of high importance.

Although permanent tattooing has been in practice for years, it’s only recently that this technique has been perfected to give impeccable results using FDA approved pigments and innovative application techniques, but that doesn’t mean that there are only benefits that go along with this type of cosmetic procedure. This type of makeup aims to enhance, define and even slightly modify the look of the facial features and targets the eyebrows, the lips and the eyes, so check out the pros and cons of permanent tattoos applied on each specific area to determine if this is the perfect match for you:

Permanent Eyeliner

This type of makeup is quite popular among those who love well defined eyes as the technique consist in applying the desired pigment under the skin, just like an eyeliner near the lash line. The line can be created to suit the eye shape, it can be thicker or subtle depending on personal preference and the pigment can be adapted to suit your needs. The pros of having a permanent eyeliner or micro-pigmentation are well defined eyes day and night, no smudging, always looking like you’ve just applied makeup.

The cons are de-pigmentation, as the lifespan of your permanent eye makeup differs from one person to another being affected also by the aftercare process, uneven effect (if the permanent makeup professional is inexperienced), the need to redo the permanent eyeliner after a few years as the color will eventually fade, the bruising of the skin around the eyes if you’re sensitive.

Permanent Lip Makeup

Full, luscious lips have always been a symbol of seductiveness and beauty, but unfortunately not all women have been blessed with plump lips. Because of this, various techniques such as applying lip lines and colored lipsticks slightly over the edge of the lips have been used by women to get more voluminous lips. However, because these results are only temporary, the need for a more permanent approach has been high and thus permanent lip makeup has been developed. This technique involves the tattooing of the outline of the lips to create a natural yet permanent full lips effect, using a pigment similar to the lip. The pros when it comes to this technique are: full lips without any injections such as collagen, permanent results, the color loses its intensity after the lips heal.

The cons of permanent lip tattooing are: the possibility of ending up with the wrong color, a much darker color which creates an unnatural, unflattering look, uneven results (if the permanent makeup professional is inexperienced), pain during the tattooing process, the possibility of an outbreak if you have the herpes simplex virus.

Permanent Eyebrows

This type of tattoo has been created first for those suffering from alopecia or those having undergone chemotherapy, but nowadays sculpting and defining the eyebrows has become super popular among women who still have intact eyebrows. There are various techniques, the most recent and most natural being the stokes technique which mimics the hairs of the eyebrows, but you can also choose a full tattooed or a powdery-finish texture; it all depends on the result you’re seeking. The pros of permanent eyebrows are fab, perfectly symmetrical eyebrows that are sculpted to suit your needs and personal preference, eyebrows colored in the hue of choice, from black to light brown, reduction of the time used to define the eyebrows using various makeup products. The cons are de-pigmentation, permanent effects in case of unevenness, changing styles in eyebrow shapes, keloids formation, painful tattooing process.

When considering having permanent makeup done make sure you choose an experienced permanent makeup professional certified by the Society of Permanent Cosmetics Professionals. Have him/her show you pictures on his/her work. Choose a salon that works with sterile environment with FDA approved products as because the skin is being pierced by the needles that introduce the pigment under the skin you’re exposing yourself to various diseases including AIDS, HIV and Hepatitis C. Make sure the permanent makeup professional explains to you all the risks involved and that you are clear about the shape and color that you want your permanent tattoo to feature. –becomegorgeous.com + photos, additional photos: Thinkstock