Informative Articles

The following is what the permanent make-up artist should expect the client to consider before undergoing permanent make-up

Permanent Make-up

by Philippa Crichton

What you should know and tips about having permanent makeup applied

Of the 3 treatments i.e. laser treatments, peels and permanent make-up, I have listed as dangerous and for which the public must do their homework before embarking on any of them, permanent make-up is by far the most dangerous with the most long term negative consequences. In almost every case of IPL or peel damage the client has healed with no or very small scars, whereas the scars and long term defacing done by permanent make-up is critical.

1. Unlike the other modalities the equipment or quality of the product is imperative as well as the training. With permanent make-up it is all about the training and the time taken doing the training. The SPCP (Society of Permanent Make-up Professionals) recommends a minimum of 100 hours of training for basic training (eyeliner, lip liner and eyebrows) (which includes both contact and home study), this in my opinion is not sufficient and it should be 100 hours of full contact tuition. Most people offering training only offer 5 days of training, which amounts to 40 hours and then the person has to do a portfolio of evidence completing a certain number of treatments in each area to get their hours. However these are done on their own so if they are doing anything wrong they are not corrected and in the permanent make up field, practice makes permanent, so if they are practicing the wrong thing it’s going to be very difficult to break those habits.


2. Ensure that your technician is either a make-up artist, a skin care therapist, or comes from some medical or para medical background.


3. More importantly ensure that the person has chosen to specialise in permanent make-up and has not just added it on to her menu of treatments to make extra money, she must be doing a minimum of 5 procedures a week otherwise she is not committed to being a pmu technician and you don’t want to go to someone who does one procedure a month.


4. Ensure that a full consultation including medical history is conducted with you prior to the treatment, then before and after photos are taken, an indemnity is signed, and that the area you are having done is drawn on to your liking before the treatment is commenced and that you are happy with the colour chosen for the treatment


5. Your technician must understand the skin extremely well and have utmost respect for it as well as be artistic in order to design the perfect shape brows for your face.


6. Do not allow the technician to draw the lip liner over the lip vermilion this will cause many unfortunate effects.


7. Ensure that the technician knows about her colours:
   Are they organic, inorganic, natural or synthetic or a combination?
   Are they homogenised or plasticised pigments or dyes being used?
   Most poorly trained technicians have no knowledge of colour or the chemical composition of colours, and remember it is the under
   pinning knowledge which is imperative to have to be 100% successful at this art.


8. If you don’t feel comfortable don’t do the treatment.


9. Don’t just see one of the people done by the technician, physically see at least 5 of them.

In summary these treatments can be extremely dangerous so make sure you do your homework before you embark on any of them, it could be potentially extremely defacing if you don’t.

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