What is healing like for permanent makeup?

By Erica Roybal

Founder/ Trainer at Permanent Makeup Aesthetics Clinic LLC

Anyone considering receiving permanent makeup needs to consider: Skin can not be compared with a sheet of paper or a canvas. It’s a distinctive part of a living organism; it’s an organ where cells are formed, divide and die. Skin is where biochemical processes take place constantly, all of which will directly affect the permanent makeup results. hen skin is punctured and the pigment is implanted, there is a wound response that takes place. In the dermis, tissue macrophages known as Langerhans are the first to encounter foreign particles. They eat them and process them to try to find a way to fight them.

Then vascular macrophages join in the fight. These macrophages are mobile and move in the dermis, from vessels to lymph nodes. The pigment enters the skin through a puncture from a non-hollow needle, which, in turn, triggers the inflammation process. Several symptoms appear as redness, edema, pain, and temperature at the site of trauma. These are normal responses to injured tissue.

As a result, the skin’s protective function is impaired and the injured area is the entrance to potential infection. With physiological regeneration, all epidermal layers are fully replaced in three to four weeks. By the age of 50, the rate of cell division and differentiation decreases by two times, and all the layers of the epidermis are replaced in two to three months. This is an important fact to keep in mind when considering scheduling the touchup or follow-up appointment for each client. It is a controversial task to take on a touchup any sooner than four weeks as the epidermal layer is not fully replaced at this time.

Healed results will vary with each client. It will take more than one day for the pigment to be firmly fixed at a certain depth within the dermis. The amount of pigment that will remain in the skin depends not only on the artist’s skills and the extent of the injury. No guarantees can be made, additional sessions may be required to obtain optimal results. This will result in additional charges. Although we give our best efforts to provide you with quality service, many factors can result in less than the desired outcome as each client will heal differently. There are three stages of healing:

1-4 days- Initially, the new permanent makeup will appear more intense than expected. Oxidation and blood rushing to the skin's surface darken the appearance of the pigment.

2-7 days- The pigment color of the treated area will be significantly softer and lighter during the healing process. The "disappearing act" is due to the immaturity of the epidermal cells. These cells have been exposed to pigment and the normal sloughing process is disrupted. The area will have a milky cast, diffusing the original chosen color. The pigment does not go anywhere. It's just not as visible through the "veil" of tissue during the wound-rebuilding stage.

5-30 days- Translucency is slowly restored and the pigment color is deposited in the dermis. While these injected pigment tones may initially simulate the exact color chosen, they will not always be a perfect match. The tones of the injected pigment remain constant, while the skin tones change depending upon exposure to cold, heat, sun, circulatory changes, and medications.

For our clients and students, we provide the following infographics based on each treatment area the client is receiving permanent makeup. It is important to consider all of these details ahead of the appointment scheduled time in order to have the preparation in mind.

Our permanent makeup clinic requires consultations ahead of time for any client looking to schedule an appointment. We go over the healing timeline in addition to necessary before and aftercare.

Our permanent makeup clinic offers in-person and virtual consultations.