Aura of Beauty® Permanent Makeup

PERMANENT MAKEUP PRE- AND POST-CARE INSTRUCTIONS/ AFTERCARE, PERMANENT MAKEUP PROBLEMS, PERMANENT MAKEUP HEALING TIME


Pre-procedure Instructions

  When scheduling an appointment date for a permanent makeup procedure, keep in mind the healing time of the procedure. You will need a few days afterward without social plans or strenuous activity. You will not look your best (swelling, oozing, & looks like wet paint) so plan activities around the house. Plan a shopping trip ahead of time for items you will need: ointments, straws, napkins for blotting, Q-tips, OTC pain reliever, prescriptions, a good book or movies. Get ahead on your dirty work - no lawn mowing or chores that will get dirt/ bacteria on the healing area. Do not have a procedure right before going on vacation because 1) you need healing time – you will not look like you had a makeover at the mall, 2) you may not be able to avoid sun, wind, or other items listed in post-care instructions, 3) if you had a question or permanent makeup problem it would be best to be near your permanent makeup artist and local physician. Do not wear your good clothes for the procedure because pigment might splatter on them. Pigment washes out of most clothes, but not your favorite ones. Wear something comfortable. We have heated throw blankets if you get cold easily.

  At our office the supervising physician prescribes pain pill and valium for sedation. Permanent eyebrow procedures do not need sedation. The brow area numbs easily and the procedure doesn't take long.  Permanent eyeliner procedures benefit most from relaxation because some people cannot control the squeeze & flinch protective reflexes for the eyes and might cause an error or injury. Permanent eyeliner and lip procedures take longer (if you want enough pigment in there to last) and the sedation also helps keep you comfortable lying still in one spot.
  Most states do not restrict permanent makeup procedures to doctors offices, so may not have the benefit of prescription strength numbing meds and sedation. Alternative herbal products being used include Valerian, Kava, Hops, Melatonin, St John’s Wort, Passion Flower, Chamomile, Willow Bark, and Theanine. If I were to pick one supplement from the list it would be Melatonin. In addition to the drowsy effect, it is good for skin healing and rejuvination. The anti-oxidant properties of Melatonin contribute to its anti-aging effect. Some herbs may increase or decrease the actions of other herbs or prescription medications. Patients on prescription medications should check with their doctor regarding interactions, especially those on heart meds or blood thinners. Some medications and herbs can increase swelling and bleeding. Never discontinue a medication your doctor has recommended for you without consulting him or her.

  Antihistamines like Benedryl taken before the procedure may reduce swelling and help you relax. Benedryl also helps eyes not be so watery during eyeliner procedures. Watery eyes can dilute the pigment that is being implanted. Permanent eyebrow swelling is mild and barely noticeable. Permanent eyeliner swelling is moderate. Permanent lip color swelling is severe. Arnica Montana and Bromelain may reduce swelling. It is rare to have a healing problem with permanent makeup eyebrows or eyeliner. If there is going to be a permanent makeup problem, it will be with the lips. Two unpleasant lip complications are Candida infections and hyper-pigmentation. These two permanent makeup problems can fool permanent makeup artists and doctors, resulting in not getting the best treatment for the type of problem that it is.

For EYELINER
* Do not wear contact lens during the procedure or for 24 hrs after.
* Bring sunglasses to wear home. Eyes may be light sensitive.
* Do not dye or perm lashes for 2 days prior.
* Do not use eyelash curler the day of the procedure.
* If you have had any type of eye surgery, consult with the physician about how long you should wait before having a permanent eyeliner procedure. Most physicians are giving a 2 month ok after cataract, lasik, and blepharoplasty.

For EYEBROWS
* Do not tweeze, wax, or dye brows for 2 days prior.
* Electrolysis should not be done for a week prior.

For LIPS
* If you get cold sores you will need an antiviral prescription. Physician usually instructs to begin taking it 3 days before procedure, for a 7-10 day course.
* If you have had any type of lip surgery, consult with the physician about how long you should wait before having a permanent makeup procedure on the lips. Most physicians are giving a 3 week ok after lip filler injections like collagen or Restylane. Permanent makeup artists have noticed poor color retention in lips that have received collagen injections within the previous 6 months, longer for restylane. There has even been a little pigment migration along lip edges with Restylane. It may be best not to have lip filler injections and permanent lip color within the same year. If the lip surgery involves an incision (like a lip implant), the incision needs to mature about 6 months before tattooing on top of it.
* Oral prosthesis dentures/ partials/ braces and tongue piercing bars may increase risk of getting bacterial and/or fungal infection from the mouth to the lips. Frequent or recent sinus infection puts lips at risk of infection. Denture wearers generally carry a higher candida/ yeast count. Cutaneous candidiasis/ candidosis is more common in older women (angular stomatitis - perlèche, angular cheilitis). Recent antiobiotic therapy can be responsible for a high candida count. Steroid medications and antacid drugs can allow candida to overpopulate. Smokers tend to have a high count also. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. The bacteria-yeast balance in the mouth can get out of whack, and the oral saliva will get in the holes made by tattooing lips. Lips can get infected easily. Bacterial infections clear up more quickly than Candida Albicans infections. It is possible to have a co-infection when both bacteria and fungus are involved. It is possible to get a candida infection right after clearing up a bacterial infection. More lip infection information will be on the lips special problems page.

Healing Time

Permanent makeup will appear extremely intense and thick immediately after the procedure. The color will not even look right the first few days. Other factors are added to the permanent makeup pigment bottles to counteract the undertones of facial skin. Browns can look orangish-brown, blonde brows may look too yellow, lip colors are shocking! Some colors initially look too bright and others look too dark. But don't worry - it changes. Excess pigment sheds off over the next 2-3 days, and then the skin starts healing over. A layer of healed skin on top of the pigment masks and tones it down considerably. As swelling goes down the lines will be thinner. On about the fourth day you are close to looking normal and no one notices anything. Colors will continue to soften over the next few weeks. It will look very natural in 2-3 months. You see another difference around the 7-9 month time period. It looks even softer and lighter. Brows and lips that looked fine at 2-3 months may have faint areas or be too light after 7-9 months. Because it can take up to a year to know if you need a touchup, I have extended the touchup timeframe to one year. I want your makeup to look great. That is how I get more business.

OUTER HEALING completes in about 3-6 days for eyes, 7-10 days for lips. INNER HEALING completes in 1-2 months.

Swelling migrates as it resolves. Dispersion into a larger area aids dissipation of swelling. In addition to on-the-spot absorption of swelling by the lymphatic system, excess fluid travels down with gravity through the fatty tissue. Anyone who has had breast implant surgery may remember having edema in the lower abdominal skin a few weeks later. Or, if you have watched someone heal from a bruised eye, you noticed that by the time it is almost healed the last little bit of swelling and discoloration is an inch or two lower at the cheekbone. Swelling from eyebrows can drain to the top eyelids. Swelling in top eyelids have a little movement out and down from the sides over the outer half, but fluid over the inner half is mostly trapped there until absorbed. Swelling in the bottom eyelid drains down to the cheekbone. Swelling drains out of the bottom lip faster than in the top lip. Fluid from the bottom lip can drain down the chin and neck to speed removal. Since the top lip doesn’t have anywhere to drain below it, other than a little movement out to the sides, fluid is stuck there until the lymph system can suck it all out.

How easily a person swells and bruises may be affected by age, food and meds consumed, and hormonal cycles. I have seen everything from no noticeable swelling to bruising. Brows have minimal swelling, but the wet paint look is difficult to hide unless you have long bangs or big rim sunglasses. Eyes have moderate swelling, but can be easily hidden with sunglasses. Generally speaking, younger women’s eyes swell less and the swelling goes down faster after eyeliner procedures. Older women have loose skin that provides a greater water holding pocket. Additionally, circulation and cellular turnover slows with aging. Lips can swell four times their normal size, and there is no hiding them. Request a few surgical masks if you are embarrassed to walk out of the building, or for use at home in case you have to answer the door, or make a trip to the store. After three or four days when the area is healed enough that you don’t have to worry about infection, you can mask the area with other makeup/ powder/ lipstick while waiting for healing to complete.

How quickly a client returns to work depends on which permanent makeup procedure she had performed, and what type of occupation she has (greets the public, or works more privately in office). Eyes and brows are a breeze. Clients have eyes and brows done on Friday or Saturday and return to work Monday. Lips are a bigger ordeal. Clients usually have lips done on Thursday or Friday and return to work on Monday or Tuesday.