Is Permanent Makeup Really Permanent?
Permanent makeup is a very popular treatment today and is nothing like it was in previous years. Today’s results look really natural, enhance natural beauty, and don’t last forever.
Or do they?
It is often confusing as a client hearing the term 'permanent' when it may not last forever.
Is Permanent Makeup Really Permanent?
Permanent makeup is meant to fade over time. Depending on the treatment, whether it’s eyebrows, eyeliner, or a lip tattoo, the average permanent makeup lasts approximately 1-3 years.
For some people it lasts much less, particularly those with an oily skintype and those that tend to sunbathe. For some it can be persistent and last for many years, mainly those with a a drier skintype.
The term permanent comes from the fact that it’s done quite similar to a traditional body tattoo. That means that the pigments are inserted at the same depth under the skin. Traditional tattoos as well as permanent makeup are implanted in the dermis.
Another reason why the term permanent is used is that the pigment, being inserted into the dermis, some of it will stay in the body forever, although it may not be visible forever.
Why Does Permanent Makeup Fade?
The older generation of permament makeup was mainly done by tattoo artists. They used tattoo guns and traditional body ink and the results were permanent.
Perament makeup today uses tools made specifically for the delicate skin of the face. For example, microblading uses a hand tool that consists of fine needles. These needles create soft hair strokes which are filled with pigment.
It is very importatnt to know that The pigment for permanent makeup is also formulated to be broken down by the body with time. So, it’s different from traditional body ink.
Permanent makeup is mostly done on a person’s face. It’s known that even traditional tattoos which are done on the face fade faster than those done on other parts of the body. The reason for this is that the face is much more often exposed to sun, water, makeup and cosmetic products. The skin on your face has a higher oil content as well.
Permanent makeup, being usually done on the face, will naturally fade faster and the fact that it’s done with pigments, not ink, means that it will fade much faster than a traditional tattoo.
Isn’t It Called Semi-Permanent Makeup?
The term semi-permanent makeup was used at the beginning of the permanent makeup expansion. It was used to show that the results of the treatment will fade after some time.
People were more willing to commit to something that will not stay on their faces forever.
Nowadays, when most people know much more about permanent makeup, the term semi permament is not used as often as it used to be.
So we can say that it was a form of a marketing trick that helped people get to know permanent makeup, but there’s no need to use it anymore.
Permanent makeup artists admitted that their treatments are kind of permanent and that they are a form of a tattoo.
It’s more correct to say that semi-permanent make-up treatments are those that last only a couple of weeks and don’t include tattooing, such as henna brows, lamination and HD Brows.
Conclusion
So, the answer to the question of is permanent makeup really permanent is that in some way it is, meaning that it is a form of a tattoo and the pigments stay in the body, and the results can be visible for a long time. However, if done properly and depending on your skin, the results are supposed to fade within 3 years tops.