What is Permanent Lip LinerÂ
Lip Liner?
Are you tired of refreshing your lip liner and/or lipstick several times during the day? Do the current all-day lipstick brands make your lips dry or chapped? Would you like a professional opinion regarding the appearance of your lips and what can be accomplished with permanent cosmetics toward a more symmetric and fuller appearance? Is your inventory of $20 lipsticks getting financially out of hand and a burden to keep fresh and environmentally clean? Are you aware that in 2004 the FDA banned cow brains in lipsticks due to mad cow disease? One has to wonder what else is in this pretty container that we would not find ingredient attractive if we were just made aware. Do you wish you had some of the natural colorings you had when you were younger?
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If so, Permanent Cosmetic Lip Liner is for you!
A natural appearing permanent cosmetic lip liner can be applied to give more definition, correct uneven lips, which will result in a fuller appearance. The procedure also helps prevent lipstick from bleeding and can minimize the appearance of wrinkles.
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Full lip color can be applied in either a natural hue or a more vivid one. Wear your permanent lip color alone in a natural tone or apply different shades of lipstick over your permanent lip color for those occasions when you prefer a more dramatic look–you will find that the color lasts much longer when applied over permanent cosmetic lip color than it did to a bare lip.
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Because the coloring and shape of the natural lip is unpredictable, it is common for a technician to request you attend a consultation before an appointment for the actual procedure is scheduled. At the consultation, your color and shape objectives and probability of success with permanent cosmetic pigments and techniques will be discussed.
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Permanent cosmetic professionals typically ask if you have ever had a cold sore or fever blister on the lips and if so what seems to be the trigger to this condition. If your answer to this question is “yes,” you will in all likelihood be requested to speak to your medical provider regarding a medication formulated specifically for a breakout, an antiviral medication.
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If you and the consulting technician have agreed to go forward and schedule an appointment, the technician may suggest the timing does not coincide with any important events. Lips appear very vibrant for a few days after the initial procedure and dryness associated with the healing process requires the application of a moisturizing product. As with any artistic appearance enhancement service, techniques will vary from technician to technician.
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The actual permanent cosmetic lip procedure varies inasmuch as there are numerous devices that prevent cross-contamination that technicians may use. The choices are the coil machine, the linear device (the Neo Tat) the digital rotary machines, the permanent cosmetic pen rotaries, and the manual device. All, when used in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens guidelines, are safe. You may ask to see the attendance certificate indicating your permanent cosmetic professional has attended an OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens class. If there is permit, registration, or licensing required in your state, you should also look for the appropriate documents, which are required to be posted in plain sight, to ensure the cosmetic tattoo artist is compliant with state and local laws.
What is the process?
I'm an SPCP member technician, who ensures anesthetic OTC contents levels are well within the limits of the law. The same would apply to anesthetics used during the permanent cosmetic lip liner procedure.
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The work table will be assembled with one-time-use accessories. If a pre-procedure anesthetic was applied, it is removed in a timely manner in accordance with manufacturer instructions, a sterilized needle will be opened, the needle assembled into the device and the procedure begins.
A follow-up appointment is normally scheduled in four to eight weeks, depending on the age of the client, to determine how the lip tattoo procedure healed and if any further work is needed.
What to Expect from Your Appointment. So what happens in an appointment?
First, there’s pout prep. A topical anesthetic is applied to pre-numb the lips for 20 minutes. I will draw the shape of the “new” lips so that you can evaluate and make any changes.
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The procedure takes place over the course of an hour to an hour and a half, if not longer, depending on the look you’re going for. Once the appointment is completed, your lips may be swollen—it is a tattoo, after all—so you can ice them if necessary. Over the next week, your lips will start to heal, meaning they may scab, so it’s important to time this carefully around your schedule.
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For the first 24 hours, I advise my clients to gently blot their lips with a wet cotton pad and let them air dry. This is to keep the lips clean and remove any body fluids that have surfaced and prevent the fluids from forming scabs.
When it comes to scabs, it’s important that they fall off naturally—picking them can result in scarring or loss of pigment in those areas. I also suggest avoiding workouts and sun exposure for two weeks (a great excuse to avoid the gym if we do say so ourselves) and if you plan on getting injections, wait a full month. Sleeping on your face could also cause the scabs to fall off prematurely. An occlusive ointment like Aquaphor should be worn to keep the lips properly moisturized. (But then again, Aquaphor should always be worn because it’s a god-send.)
Initially, the color will be super vibrant, almost like a lip stain. It is important not to be misled by the immediate ‘after’ results. The immediate results look nothing like when the lips are healed. Once healed, the color fades approximately 30-50 percent and also blends in with the natural lip color.
Scabbing typically lasts five to seven days, and after four weeks, the lips should be fully healed to completion, but I suggest a touch-up appointment around six weeks in the event the client wants to alter the shape of the blush or to fill in areas that may have rejected pigment, although it’s not mandatory.