Permanent Makeup

Before getting permanent makeup applied, you’ll get a patch test on your skin to check on whether you have an allergic reaction to the pigment that will be used.

After that, you will choose the color, based on advice and suggestions from the makeup artist. The technician will then use a sterile surgical pen to sketch the area to be tattooed and then put an anesthetic gel on your skin.

Using a hollow, vibrating needle, the technician will apply the pigment into the top layer of the skin. Each time the needle penetrates the skin, a droplet of pigment is released into the hole the needle makes. You will feel a slight stinging.

After getting permanent makeup, it takes about three weeks for the color to fade to its permanent shade.

At first, the color will likely look dark and shiny. The surrounding tissue will be swollen and red.

You can use a cold compress to reduce swelling and antibiotic ointment to help prevent infection. Strict sun avoidance and use of sunscreens that block the entire ultraviolet light A and B spectrum for several weeks is important to prevent post-inflammatory color changes. Complications are rare but can include infection or allergic reactions to the tattoo dye.