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What is Permanent Cosmetics?
Permanent Cosmetics is the art of implanting of pigment in the dermal layer of the skin to enhance and correct the client's features.
It is also called micropigmentation, permanent makeup, dermapigmentation, dermagraphics, interdermal cosmetics and intradermal cosmetics.
And yes, it is tattooing.
The difference from traditional "body art" tattooing is that it is a delicate procedure covering only a small area, and the pigments are soft, natural-looking colors.
Permanent eyeliner, eyebrows, lip liner and full lip color are the most popular Permanent Cosmetics procedures.
Lyn Lawrence is also certified for scar revision and areola repigmentation.
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Is it safe?
Absolutely!
But you must be sure you select a trained and licensed Permanent Cosmetics Artist who follows all sanitation and sterilization requirements.
Make sure your Permanent Cosmetics Artist opens the sealed single-use tool in your presence as assurance that proper procedures are being followed.
All non-disposable surfaces or items that could come in contact with the client should be sprayed with an EPA-grade disinfectant, then covered in plastic barrier film.
All pigments should be in sterilized containers, and disposed of after use on the client.
Clients should complete a detailed medical questionnaire designed to screen out any clients who might have problems with the procedure.
At Living Masterpiece, the health of our clients is paramount!
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Who can benefit from Permanent Cosmetics?
- Active people who want to look their best while swimming, exercising, dancing and pursuing other activities where traditional cosmetics simply won't stay.
- Those with allergies and skin sensitivities to traditional cosmetics.
- Women with visual or motor impairments that make it difficult to apply makeup themselves.
- Those who struggle with makeup application. We are not all artists!
- Women with "too thin" or "too thick" lips, or an uneven lip line.
- Those with missing, spotty, colorless or asymmetrical eyebrows.
- Women who find that their eyeliner disappears by the end of the day, particularly on the lower lashes.
- Women who want to spend less time doing their makeup - from career women to busy moms!
- Women whose natural coloring has faded.
- Anyone who wants to wake up with makeup!
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Is it really permanent?
The pigment molecules always stay in the skin and cannot be washed off, therefore the implanted color is considered "permanent".
However, the pigment in your skin is affected similarly to the color in your clothing.
Both will fade when exposed to sun. Both are affected by "bleach" - for skin, pigments can be faded by chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser treatments or acids that cause the skin to exfoliate.
Those with young, healthy skin exfoliate faster than older clients.
Good skin care will slow the fading process, but you will probably find that you wish to refresh the color periodically, at some time between three to ten years after your initial procedure.
Delicate, feathery brow color will fade most quickly; eyeliner and lip color will often last five or more years before a refresh is desired.
A refresh procedure will take much less time than your original procedure.
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How much does it cost?
Costs for Permanent Cosmetics vary widely.
If you research costs in the mid-cities area, you will find the fees at Living Masterpiece to be at or below average.
We think almost everyone could benefit from having Permanent Cosmetics, and we want to make it affordable!
Yet we offer years of art training and experience, along with the highest quality education in Permanent Cosmetics procedures, including several times more training hours than those required by the state.
At Living Masterpiece, our fees for the initial procedure are as follows:
| Eyeliner, both upper and lower lids |
$295 |
| Eyeliner, either upper or lower lid |
$175 |
| Eyebrows |
$295 |
| Lipliner |
$350 |
| Lipliner and full lip color |
$450 |
For all procedures, the first retouch is included in the initial price.
Additional follow up procedure fees after your initial procedure are as follows:
| First retouch FREE (included in initial procedure pricing) |
| 3-6 months |
25% of initial procedure price |
| 6-24 months |
50% of initial procedure price |
| 2-5 years |
75% of initial procedure price |
| After 5 years |
New procedure pricing |
There are factors to consider in addition to the initial cost of your Permanent Cosmetics:
- Is there a charge to the first retouch?
- How much are follow up visits?
- Is your Permanent Cosmetics Artist committed to staying in the area and serving the future needs of his or her clients?
- Does your Permanent Cosmetics Artist participate in continuing education?
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Does it hurt?
At Living Masterpiece, the use of a variety of topical anesthetics leaves most clients feeling no or very minor discomfort during eyebrow and eyeliner procedures.
There is usually some initial discomfort lasting no more than a few minutes until the anesthetic takes effect.
Topical anesthetic is reapplied periodically during the procedure to maintain the numbing effect.
For eyeliner, most clients complain that it tickles!
Lips are more sensitive.
Although Lyn Lawrence has performed quite a few lip procedures with only topical anesthetics, she finds most clients are more relaxed if they receive a dental block before arriving at the Living Masterpiece salon.
We can recommend several dentists close to the salon who will provide the block for a small fee, or you can get a dental block from your own dentist.
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How long does it take?
For eyebrows and lips, color selection and topical makeup application to reach agreement on color and placement may take up to an hour.
For eyeliner, the client can usually designate the result wanted by selecting from photographs, then adding a thicker line, if desired, as the procedure progresses.
The application procedure for eyebrows, eyeliner and lip liner will take at least another hour, and may take as much as two hours.
Full lip color application will take from two to three hours.
Touchup procedures require considerably less time than the initial procedure.
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What should I look for in a Permanent Cosmetics Artist?
The key word here is "Artist"!
Anyone can be trained as a technician, but work that enhances, corrects and compliments your unique features can only come from an artist.
Look for the following:
- Permanent Cosmetics training at a reputable school that requires at least fifty hours of training for its initial certification.
Check the website for the school.
Is it professional-looking?
- Periodic participation in advanced training and continuing education Permanent Cosmetics programs.
- Art training is a must.
An art degree from a university you recognize, or work as an artist in another field is even better.
- Check the Permanent Cosmetics Artist's website or photo album in their office for work you would like to see on your face.
Don't be fooled by stock photos.
Ask if the photographs you see are the work of the Permanent Cosmetics Artist.
- Always take advantage of a consultation before committing to a procedure.
Make sure you are comfortable with the Permanent Cosmetics Artist and confident of her/his ability to do a great job.
- In Texas, licensing as a "Tattoo Artist" with the Texas Department of Health is required.
This certifies that the Permanent Cosmetics Artist complies with state requirements for disinfection and sanitary techniques, and that the licensed facility meets state health requirements.
The Texas Department of Health "Tattoo Artist" license must be displayed.
- In most metropolitan areas, a permit from the city or county is necessary.
This certifies that the working area meets sanitary requirements and city codes.
If required, this permit must be displayed.
- Check for membership in a professional organization.
The Society of Permanent Cosmetics Professionals has been in existence since 1990 and offers continuing education courses to promote safety, professionalism and up-to-date techniques.
Another organization is the American Academy of Micropigmentation.
- Look for disposable tools and pigments, thorough disinfection of surfaces that the client will touch, barrier film over non-disposable items, frequent hand-washing by your Permanent Cosmetics Artist, and use of gloves for set up, treatment and cleanup.
Is the treatment room clean and orderly, with light-colored, non-porous surfaces that reveal spills and make cleanup easy?
Does your Permanent Makeup Artist open a new tool from a sterilized pack prior to your procedure?
Does your artist use a new sheet and treatment cape for every client?
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Is Permanent Cosmetics new?
Definitely not!
See our History page.
Did you know that some 1930's movie stars had permanent cosmetics?
And that tattooing dates back to the Ice Age?
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Can you show me how Permanent Cosmetics would look on me?
Visit the Contact page, and send me an e-mail with a picture attached, of you without makeup.
Jpeg (.jpg), bitmap (.bmp), tif (.tif) or gif (.gif) format will work.
I'll send it back showing you how I would do your Permanent Cosmetics.
Show it to your friends and family, and ask their opinion!
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What will I look like immediately after the procedure?
The post-procedure color will be considerably darker than your final result, and you may experience some temporary swelling.
See the Photographs section for a preview of what to expect for your procedure.
Keeping the area moist and protected with an antibiotic ointment or A & D ointment, as recommended, will darken your treatment area even more.
Most clients choose to have the Permanent Cosmetics procedure on a day where they don't have to go back to work or important events immediately afterwards.
For lip procedures, a few clients have enough swelling that they feel self-conscious, and wish to spend a few days with family and friends only.
Lyn Lawrence, on the other hand, thought her full post-procedure lips looked great, and received many compliments on her new "look"!
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How long does it take to get the final result?
- You will find that the color is intense and there is mild swelling for three to five days following the procedure.
- After this time, swelling subsides and the color will actually appear to get very light.
This is because the epidermis sloughs off and the skin over the color becomes somewhat opaque as a temporary part of the healing process.
This stage will last from five days to two weeks.
- The color gradually reappears and settles into its final shade.
If it is your first treatment, you will probably find areas in which the color has taken unevenly due to differences in the skin's texture and thickness.
This will be corrected in your retouch procedure.
- It is important to wait the full four to six weeks before the retouch to be sure the color is fully normalized.
If not, you may find that additional treatments are required that could have been avoided if you had waited the proper amount of time.
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What do I have to do after the procedure?
Your tasks are to keep the treatment area moist and clean during the post-procedure time. You will be given written instructions and aftercare supplies for your specific procedure at the Living Masterpiece salon.
- For all procedures, aftercare includes twice daily application of an antibiotic ointment.
At Living Masterpiece, we prefer Bacitracin because few patients have allergic reactions to it.
Always use a fresh cotton swab for each application.
For eyeliner procedures, wipe off excess Bacitracin gently with a damp cotton swab to avoid irritating the eye.
Use Bacitracin for a maximum of five days.
- For eyebrow and lip procedures only, apply A & D ointment any time the area becomes dry or flaky.
Keeping the area moist is very important to the final result.
Letting a scab form will pull color from the area and result in uneven color.
Do not use A & D ointment on the eyeliner area.
Use plain vaseline instead.
- For eyeliner procedures, contacts must remain out of the eye for 24 hours following the procedure.
- For all procedures, avoid touching the treatment area with your hands.
Use a swab instead.
If the area has some fluid drainage, blot with a clean tissue.
Never scrub, peel or pick at the area.
- For all procedures, do not apply topical makeup over the treatment area for five days following the procedure. After an eyeliner procedure, you may use mascara if you purchase a fresh tube and do not touch the treatment area with mascara. Makeup that does not touch the treatment area is permitted.
- If you are experiencing swelling, an ice pack covered by a clean paper towel for 15 minutes every hour will help. You may also take Tylenol only. Any other pain reliever will thin the blood and increase the likelihood of bruising.
- For all procedures, avoid fresh water (due to micro organisms), salt water, chlorinated water, extremely hot water, hot tubs, saunas, soaps, tanning booths, direct sunlight or vigorous scrubbing. Cleanse the area by splashing with cool water only until all peeling and flaking of the treatment area subsides. This usually takes about two weeks.
- For lip procedures, drink through a straw for two weeks. Avoid salty and spicy foods for about three days.
- For lip procedures, do not use any products containing aloe vera or Vitamin E. They will fade your lip color.
- Always use a sun block or hat to protect your face from the sun. Not only will this increase the longevity of your permanent cosmetics, but your skin will remain more youthful.
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Is there anything I should do before the procedure?
- For lip procedures, if you have ever had a cold sore or fever blister, you must take an antibiotic medication immediately after the procedure.
Call your doctor for a prescription for Valtrex, Zovirax, Aclovir or Famvir, and fill it before you come to Living Masterpiece for your procedure.
- Avoid caffeine, aspirin or blood thinners for two days prior to the procedure.
They will cause more bruising than would normally occur.
- If you have a condition such as mitral valve prolapse that requires you to take antibiotics prior to dental cleaning, you should take those same antibiotics prior to your permanent cosmetics procedure.
- Fill out a medical questionnaire and discuss any "yes" answers with Lyn Lawrence at Living Masterpiece (972.571.9934) prior to your procedure.
There may be reasons why you should not have a Permanent Cosmetics procedure.
- If you have children, please arrange for child care during the procedure.
For health and sanitation reasons, children are not allowed in the treatment room.
Club Fun, which offers hourly child care, is just a few steps from Living Masterpiece in the same shopping center.
You may call them at 817-571-7717 to check rates and hours.
Living Masterpiece is not affiliated with Club Fun in any way.
- If you usually wear contacts and are having an eyeliner procedure, bring an extra pair of glasses or arrange for a friend to drive you home.
You should not put in your contacts for 24 hours following the procedure.
- For women, it is best to schedule your procedure at a time other than the three days before your period.
You are much more sensitive during those three days and may experience more discomfort than normal.
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Is Permanent Cosmetics tattooing?
Yes it is.
The difference from traditional "body art" tattooing is that Permanent Cosmetics is a delicate procedure covering only a small area, and the pigments are soft, natural-looking colors.
Permanent eyeliner, eyebrows, lip liner and full lip color are the most popular Permanent Cosmetics procedures.
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What about allergic reactions?
At Living Masterpiece, we use inorganic iron oxides and carbon-based pigments.
These substances occur naturally in the body, and thus are accepted well.
According to Micropigmentation, State of the Art by Dr. Charles S. Zwerling, M.D.: "Less than 0.1% in over 100,000 estimated permanent cosmetics procedures performed nationwide over the last ten years resulted in an allergic reaction."
An estimated 7% of women have allergic reactions to traditional cosmetics, so you are much less likely to have an allergic reaction to Permanent Cosmetics than traditional cosmetics.
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Will Permanent Cosmetics keep me from getting an MRI scan?
There have been numerous studies that have revealed no problems resulting from an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), even for people with large body tattoos.
Permanent cosmetics tattoos cover a very small area, and have even less potential for problems.
The few instances in which discomfort resulted were transient and localized.
MRIs only affect metals, and you have many more times the metal in a single tooth filling than in a very large tattoo.
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Can I still wear traditional makeup?
Of course!
Most people prefer a natural, "every day" look for their permanent cosmetics, since they often wear no other makeup except mascara.
For your evening look, add a brighter colored lipstick, darker brows and dramatic eyeliner in a fun color!
Permanent cosmetics are no restriction at all.
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