Tattoo as Makeup

My colleague came to the office looking a bit different. Her eyebrow. It was darker than usual. I thought she was trying out a new dark color for her eyebrows. They look great and after a few days, the color became more natural. It turned out she had them embroided. This kind of cosmetic procedure is known as eyebrow embroidery or otherwise, permanent makeup. This procedure involves deposition of specially formulated pigments into the dermal layer of the skin. This is not a new technique as it is believed to have started thousands of years ago in Egypt. There are other terms like micropigmentation, micropigment implantation, intradermal pigmentation, dermagraphics and cosmetic tattooing. The options that are available to create a more pronounced look include eyeliner, eyebrows, lip liner or full lip color.

This whole thing got me thinking. What good is there getting a permanent makeup?
1. Save time – You no longer have to endure the hassle for daily application or touch up of regular makeup.
2. Save money – You no longer have to shop for unnecessary cosmetic products.
3. You can look beautiful at all times i.e. when you are swimming, jogging, sleeping etc.
4. No more smear or smudge of cosmetic products on your face.
5. You don’t have to worry about using cosmetic products that may irritate your skin.
6. Disabled people who have difficulty in applying makeup can enjoy the same benefits.

However, like any tattoo, fading can and often does occur and periodic maintenance is required. Otherwise, it may lead to uneven skin color or even obvious patches. The use of alpha-hydroxy, retin-A and glycolic acid products can also cause the pigment to fade as these are the ingredients that are mostly used in whitening products. Since this procedure is permanent, you won’t be able to tryout new look like changing shape of eyebrow, or changing lip color.

There’s another devastating side effect of permanent makeup, which is the possibility of having an allergic reaction to the pigmentation. This allergy will result in redness, swelling and even permanent bumps in the skin called granulomas. According to some FDA reports, there are approximately 50 cases where reactions occurred in the areas of the eyes and lips which caused serious disfigurement, resulting in difficulty in eating and talking. (Sounds scary!! But then it's all depend on the individual skin reaction to the chemicals...)

Like betting, there’re always risks in trying out new techniques and products. But then, as long as you are comfortable with the idea and that you've checked with your beauty consultant for any side effect, there's no stopping you.