Permanent make-up is a cosmetic technique that involves the use of natural pigments on the dermis (upper layer) of the skin to create results similar to your everyday make-up. Life-long enhancement of colours to the skin on the face, lips, and eyelids are what the techniques are meant to achieve.
For those who may have suffered the loss of eyebrows, it can help create artificial ones, especially for those who have lost them because of old age, diseases such as alopecia totalis, chemotherapy, or a genetic disturbance. It is also used extensively to disguise scars and white spots in the skin such as vitiligo. In fact, it can also be used to restore or enhance the breast’s areola after breast surgery.
Among the techniques offered are lip colour enhancement, semi-permanent eyebrows, scalp pigmentation, the management of stretch marks, areola pigmentation and also permanent beauty spots to draw attention to specific features of the face.
Therapies on offer
Permanent make-up techniques to deal with vitiligo have been around for a long time now. Patients can look forward to treatments to correct dark circles under the eyes as well as permanent eyeliners.
- Lip enhancement: With age, the shape of our lips is lost and its colour begins to fade. This usually happens on the outer edges of the lips. Lip pigmentation restores the natural outline of the lips, giving it better shape and fullness. The natural pigment restores the original colour of the lips as well.
- Scalp micro-pigmentation: It brings about the look of naturally coloured hair on the scalp giving a close-cropped look. Scalp micro-pigmentation is a life-changing non-surgical grooming technique. Natural pigments are applied at the epidermal level of the scalp to replicate the natural appearance of real hair follicles.
- Areola pigmentation: Though a longer procedure of several sittings, it can have a dramatic effect and can boost the self-esteem of breast cancer survivors.
The most obvious benefit of permanent make-up is that it can simply save you time. People with busy schedules can shave off several precious minutes in getting ready in the morning.
Such techniques also help people with physical disabilities. There are also cosmetic reasons why people use permanent makeup. After reconstructive surgery, especially of the face or breasts, permanent make-up can help restore the skin’s appearance to normal if pigment was lost during surgery. In fact, some people choose to undergo permanent makeup procedures to improve the results of cosmetics breast surgery.
(The author is founder & managing director Hairline International Hair & Skin Clinic)