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Permanent makeup: Tattoo technique 'looks natural and saves an awful lot of time'

February 10, 2004

BY LAURALEE ORTIZ
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER

For more and more people, beauty is no longer skin deep. It's a few surface layers down.

And it can be had with few simple pricks of a needle dipped in dye.

Its medical name: micro pigmentation.

In layperson lingo: a tattoo.

Erase all images of psychedelic masterpieces that cover torsos of the adventurous and cutesy doodles on the ankles of 40-something moms. These tattoos of permanent eyebrows, eyeliner and other enhancements, if done properly, are as stylish and subtle as a lipstick-stained mouth or pencil-drawn eyebrows.

According to the nonprofit Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals, the number of trained technicians has increased tenfold in the past three years.

Patricia Yee is among them.
The 48-year-old part-time legal secretary says she became interested in permanent makeup three years ago after seeing the results of the procedure on a friend, then on herself.

"I had never heard of it before," she says. "But it looked absolutely beautiful."

After a weeklong course with a permanent makeup trainer in Grand Rapids, Yee passed an exam, received her license and has been administering permanent makeup at Images Salon in Grosse Pointe Woods.

"It seems to be gaining momentum," she says. "I think people really like the fact that it looks natural and saves an awful lot of time."

Though micro pigmentation rests in the skin's middle layer -- tattoos go much deeper -- they are considered permanent, says Nahil Gebara, esthetician, Orchid Day Spa, Birmingham. Excessive exposure to such things as sun and chlorine, however, can fade or alter the look.

"It should last at least eight years," she says, adding that some clients return every other year for quick, half-hour touch-ups.

Gebara says her clients include mostly active and busy women in their 50s. She also works on those whose poor eyesight or illnesses such as arthritis make putting on makeup a challenge. Other good candidates are men and women who suffer from hair loss because of alopecia or chemotherapy and skin discoloration because of skin conditions such as vitiligo, she says.

Yee, who attends continuing education seminars twice a year to hone her skills, says permanent makeup is not for everybody.

"I have turned women away who have wanted me to do eyebrows on them but their skin is falling too much," she says.

And, Yee says, she also has her limits about the style of the makeup she applies.

"I absolutely won't do cattails on the eye liner," she says. "Because when it fades or when gravity affects it, it won't look good."

Yee and Gebara agreed that they prefer to go with lighter shades at first.

"You can always darken it," Gebara says. "But if it is too dark, you're stuck with it."

Expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $1,200 for a single procedure, according to the Society of Permanent Make Up Professionals.

Gebara, who has been providing permanent makeup along with other beauty care services for 20 years, charges $600 for a set of eyebrows, eyeliner or lip liner. A full set of lips costs $1,000. Her prices include two follow-up touch-ups, topical anesthetic and after antiseptics.

Yee's prices are in the same range, she says.

Doreen Kanakis, 47, of West Bloomfield recently had her eyebrows retouched. She says it was worth every prick of her forehead and every penny.

"I have blond hair and blond eyelashes," Kanakis says. Prior to having her eyebrows tattooed and her lashes dyed last year, she says, putting on makeup was time-consuming and unpredictable.

"I was tired of penciling in my eyebrows and having one crooked one day and the other crooked the next," she says. "This way, they are where they're supposed to be all the time."

Kanakis, whose makeover has also included breast enhancements, a face-lift and liposuction, says her investment in permanent makeup is "worth more than a lifetime's supply of $15 Channel eyebrow pencils. In the long run, it pays for itself."

Tattooing as an alternative to makeup is not a new art. Historians have evidence of women in Egypt, India, Asia and Africa who desired a more permanent look and experimented with plant and nut pigments and ground coals. Using fine, sharp instruments such as slivers of bamboo, they inserted the dyes beneath the skin's surface.

The general technique is the same today, but the equipment used is more high-tech.

Some technicians like Yee prefer using basic hand-held tattoo pens that cost about $250, while others such as Gebara use more expensive electric machines -- they average about $1,200 -- that operate much like sewing machine, moving a needle bar up and down, forcing the needle into the superficial and middle layers of skin and implanting the chosen pigment. There is some debate over which is best. First and foremost, according to the society, is the skill of the technician.

Gebara says continuing education has helped her become a master in mixology, which means she can create virtually any pigment color.

To avoid the risk of allergic reaction to the dyes, which are made of natural iron-colored pigments, she places a test patch behind her client's ear.

And before she starts the procedure, Gebara says, she applies wash-off makeup to determine the best color and shape.

Each procedure takes from 30 minutes to several hours depending on what area is being tattooed and a client's skin texture and tolerance to pain. Local anesthetic is offered, but Gebara says many clients tolerate the procedure without it.

Yee says some of her clients prefer just to squeeze a hacky sack.

"I know I almost broke my friend's wrist when I had it done," she says. "But I've never had a client not able to complete a procedure because of pain."

Kanakis says her procedures were painless with the aid of a topical numbing agent.

As for the finished product, Gebara and Yee agree they've seen some and repaired some botched work.

Recipients of permanent makeup may experience some swelling, bruising and itching for about a week. There is slight scabbing as well. The tattoo technicians interviewed say they supply clients with an infection preventative product such as Bacitracin to use after the procedure.

Expect the initial color to be darker than the permanent effect. It takes about three weeks to see the true color.

While most technicians learn the trade from professional trainers, some Internet sites offer home videos and mannequins for practice, causing concern about consumer health and safety at the National Institute of Environmental Health Services and the National Health Institutes.

Besides customers being unhappy with the outcome from untrained professionals, the health organizations say there are medical risks -- though slight -- that include exposure to blood-borne pathogens and bacterial or viral infections.

Many states including Michigan regulate tattooing facilities for cleanliness and health safety to decrease the risks of exposure.

"If appropriate disinfection and sterilization techniques are used, the health risk associated with tattooing is small," NIEHS says. It suggests that anyone interested in undergoing the procedure check with their state about possible guidelines and regulations of the industry.

Kanakis says it's particularly nice to look in the mirror after a workout and not see that her makeup is smudged. "And when I pat my face, I know my eyebrows are on my forehead and not on the towel."

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