The short answer: very important.

 The long answer: very important. Why? When it comes to permanent makeup, there are a few factors involved that makes these procedures a little tricky to heal perfectly in one session.  The pigments, the method, the skin and the aftercare all affect the final result.

 Let’s start with the pigments. Permanent makeup pigments are slightly different from regular tattoo ink, the composition is a little different but the major difference is they are less concentrated than tattoo ink which creates a softer effect that is easily layered for natural, realistic results.  They are made to be able to fade a little bit more over time so that if the styles change you can change your tattoo accordingly without having to do major pigment removal. So because these pigments are less concentrated to begin with, a touch up is almost always needed by going over the area and layering in more pigment. Pigment colour choice can affect the longevity for your tattoo (I will touch base on that later) but it won’t necessarily determine the need for an initial touch up.

 Different methods:

• Microblading is done with a manual tool where the pigment is scraped into the dermal layer of the skin, this process is already a tiny bit more finicky than any eyebrow tattoo that is done with a machine because the pigment is not being “implanted” with a needle. Aside from that, each hair stroke is done very finely and the blade must be scraped across the skin at a precise angle and depth to ensure the pigment is going in properly. Every section of your eyebrow has different thicknesses of skin and each person’s skin can be different from the next so the chances of your artist getting every portion of every single hair stroke into the skin perfectly aren’t as high as you would think.

• Machine techniques such as (nano brows, powder brows, combination brows and lip blush) usually have a little bit higher success rate when it comes to not needing a touch up. Any technique that is (properly) done with a machine is going into the skin more precise and concentrated because of the flow of pigment that the machine delivers by implanting it into the skin with a needle. Therefore there is more pigment in the skin which is less likely to come out during the healing process. However, that is only if it goes into the skin perfectly.

   

Which brings us to, skin. There are many different factors to our skin that can be a hindrance to perfectly healed results. The skin on our face is thinner than the skin elsewhere on the body, which means when tattooing it, artists must be extra careful with needle depth and tattoo slightly shallower. Our cell turnover is also higher on our faces and because the pigment is going in a bit more shallow, the cell turnover will cause things to fade more quickly. We also have tons of oil glands on our faces which can get in the way of pigment implantation and retention. The skin on our lips is even thinner than the rest of the face, with tons of blood vessels, much closer to the surface of the skin, so when lips are tattooed they can bleed more easily and produce more lymph which dilutes the pigment and cause patchiness when healed, but they have no oil or sweat glands and no hair follicles which makes it easier to tattoo. Aside from a person’s regular skin type there is also the obstacle of covering up an old tattoo. When covering up an old tattoo there can be scar tissue, colour that needs to be corrected and potentially changing the shape which makes it even more difficult to see the desired results immediately or even after a couple sessions.

 Aftercare is very necessary to properly healed results. When you get a regular tattoo, your artist will usually shave the area first which gets hair out of the way to ensure a clear, smooth canvas that is easier to work on and this also “opens” the skin by getting rid of dead skin cells on the surface so the ink can go into the skin easier. When tattooing eyebrows, we do not shave the area because we are trying to blend the tattoo with the natural brow hair, so as artists we do not have a clear, smooth canvas because there is hair in the way that we must work through. Also with a regular tattoo they will cover it up with a form of bandage to protect it for external factors during the healing process (which is also why the area must be shaved) and with permanent makeup we don’t put bandages on your eyebrows, lips or eyelids because it’s not realistic, so there are more external factors that can get in the way during the healing process. However we do use other aftercare products to ensure the healing process goes as smooth as possible.

 As I mentioned before, the combination of cell turnover, oil glands, and fading pigments all play a role in needing a touch up but there are other factors like sun exposure, skin care, beauty treatments and colour choice of the pigment used. As we know, sun exposure is bad for our skin in general but it is also the number one thing that causes faded tattoos, so make sure if you have any tattoos you are using at least an SPF 30 on them when out in direct sunlight. Having a solid skincare routine is essential, especially as we age, but there are certain things that will fade your tattoo faster than normal like retinol, alpha-hydroxy acids, facial peels, lasering, or even the over use of harsh exfoliants. Pigment choice can somewhat determine the longevity of your tattoo as well. Lighter colours generally will fade faster than darker colours especially if the persons skin is darker or tanned. The wrong colour choice can distort the way we see our tattoo and it may appear faded but it can actually just be that may it’s not warm enough (or cool enough) or too light for our skin (if somebody has light blonde hair and dark tanned skin). On the opposite side of that, when tattooing lips, using a pigment that is too dark runs the risk of the colour not blending with the natural lip colour and when faded, will potentially look more patchy than a lighter colour that is closer to the natural lip colour.

One thing to keep in mind when getting a permanent makeup tattoo is that at some point, you will need a touch up, most likely at the 6-8 week mark after your initial session to ensure you are getting the desired results but also every 1-3 years as well depending on the procedure. If you have problem skin or an old tattoo that is being covered, you may need multiple touch ups after your initial session. Touch ups allow us to change,  or add to our tattoo so they are very beneficial!