By Zinhlezonke Zikalala; Photography by Pexels
Should you or shouldn’t you?
Sure, putting on make-up every single day is a hassle, but is a permanent fix really for you? Before you decide to go out and do something drastic, you might want to know a few things about permanent make-up…
1. What Exactly Is Permanent Make-Up?
Permanent make-up is a cosmetic technique that uses tattoos (permanent pigmentation of the skin) to produce designs that resemble make-up, such as eyeliner, plus other permanent enhancing colours to the face, lips and eyelids. It’s also used to produce artificial eyebrows, especially in people who’ve lost them as a consequence of old age, diseases such as alopecia (hair loss), chemotherapy or a genetic disturbance.
READ MORE: “I Wore My Hair So Tight It Made Me Bald”
It’s also often used to disguise scars and white spots, to soften the signs of vitiligo (loss of skin colour in blotches) and sometimes simply to save time in the mornings and score an extra half an hour in bed.
2. How Painful Is It?
Even though it’s nothing compared to the pain of applying an actual tattoo, most people do experience some discomfort – but this will vary from person to person according to each individual’s pain threshold.
READ MORE: 6 Stages Of Make-Up We All Go Through
There are different methods to help with pain management, including topical anaesthetic ointments, local anaesthetic and nerve blocks (anti-inflammatory injections).
3. Should You Consider Getting It Done?
Permanent make-up is super-useful for women who have allergic reactions to make-up materials, have vision deficits, or suffer from tremors or restrictions of precise movements of the fingers and hands (think: arthritis, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis).
4. How Safe Is The Application Process?
In the hands of a skilled person, the procedures are generally safe. But government regulatory agencies haven’t kept pace with the growth of the permanent make-up industry, and there are lots of unqualified people wielding needles. So do a background check first!
Looking for more quick beauty fixes? Here are five all-in-one cleansers for when you just don’t have time, plus the must-have application sponge that’s changing the beauty game.
