For those who have very little natural pigment in their lips, wearing long-lasting lipstick becomes a daily routine. Many long-lasting lipsticks are uncomfortable, drying, and often damaging to the lips. Long-term and daily use of these products oftentimes leads to chronic dry, chapped, and cracking lips. For this reason and more, beauty lovers are turning to lip blushing for a more permanent solution to their problems. Lip blushing is a permanent cosmetics procedure performed using a tattoo machine and permanent cosmetics pigment to give the lips a natural filled-in appearance. We want our clients to be able to leave the house in lip gloss or just lip balm after receiving a lip blushing procedure. Many times this is entirely possible through thorough consultation done with you by your permanent cosmetics artist, correct application, and continued care for the permanent cosmetics procedure.
The first step in familiarizing you with lip blushing is explaining the procedure process. Many times your permanent cosmetics artist will talk this through with you during your consultation to ease any of your initial worries associated with the procedure. Upon arrival at your appointment, you will fill out client registration forms and complete an initial consultation where you will discuss your goals for permanent cosmetics, and what you would like your final outcome to look like. Your client registration forms will contain questions regarding possible medical conditions you may have, contact information, medications you may be taking, emergency contact information, and will also contain a consent form for you to sign. These forms are necessary paperwork that the artist will keep up with throughout your relationship with the artist. After you have completed your consultation and client registration, your artist will bring you back to the procedure room which has already been cleaned and sanitized for a new client. Your artist will then examine the area to ensure there are no skin irregularities that would prevent you from receiving the procedure, then your artist will apply a pre-numbing agent. This will be left on the area for 20 to 30 minutes and most commonly will be covered with plastic wrap. The artist will then remain in the room with you to ensure you do not accidentally get the numbing product in your mouth and that you are comfortable during the numbing process. Many times the artist will finish setting up for the procedure during this time as well. Once the numbing timer is up, the artist will remove the numbing and start drawing a template with a lip pencil. They will then show you the design to ensure it is to your liking, and once you have approved the shape, the artist will begin the procedure by doing a thin outline around the entire procedure and tapping lightly over the entire procedure area with the purpose of breaking the skin. During this time, many clients are completely numb and do not feel anything. Although, some clients experience a light tapping or pricking sensation or a sensation of pressure. As the procedure advances, the artist will continually numb you to ensure you are comfortable throughout the entire procedure and they will continue to build up the color until they have saturated the area entirely. Once the artist is completely done, they will show you the procedure and ask if there is anything else you would like done. Once the procedure is completed to your liking, the artist will clean the entire procedure area, apply an aftercare cream and provide you with aftercare instructions. These aftercare instructions often consist of applying aftercare cream several times daily and cleaning the area lightly once daily. You will, in most cases, be advised to come back for a touch-up procedure 6 to 8 weeks after your initial procedure to maintain the longevity of your permanent cosmetics.
Your artist’s number one concern is always going to be your safety and much of what they do is to ensure that the procedure will be safe for you. Next to this concern is the obvious concern for the final outcome and ensuring that you receive the results you hope for. Clients, on the other hand, are concerned for the entire process from beginning to end, and rightfully so! This is why permanent cosmetics artists must be sure to explain the process and answer any of your questions during a detailed consultation. Easing our clients’ worries is often done during this time with many clients not fully understanding the procedure process and healing process as artists would. The following are points commonly discussed between clients and permanent cosmetics artists during a consultation for a lip blushing procedure.
1. Assured Safety Through Client Registration
For a procedure to be completely safe, three things have to be true. First, the artist must use universal precautions to ensure the procedure environment is sterile for each new client. Second, the artist must use single-use, sterile products during the procedure. And, third, the client must complete client registration forms correctly and honestly. Your artist only wants to ensure that the procedure is safe to perform on you, and if you have certain medical conditions your artist might want to wait until the condition clears up, or get permission from your primary care provider before proceeding with the procedure. This prevents worsening your condition or causing additional issues for you during the healing process of your permanent cosmetics procedure. If you know you have a skin condition in the area and still want to receive a lip blushing procedure, call and ask your permanent makeup artist what their opinion is before your appointment. Oftentimes they will ask that you receive that written permission from your primary care physician before your procedures.
2. Cold Sores
A large concern when performing lip procedures for permanent cosmetics artists is the possibility of cold sores arising as a result of the irritation to your lips during and after your lip blushing procedure. If you are prone to cold sores, you can call your primary care physician and explain that you are getting a lip blushing procedure done which can cause cold sores and you need a preventative medication in order to proceed with your lip procedure. This is oftentimes what permanent cosmetics artists will ask you to do before you can proceed with your permanent cosmetics procedure. There is also an aftercare lip balm that some artists will provide to their clients that prevent cold sores which also promotes healthy healing of your permanent cosmetics procedure. It is recommended that if you know you could get cold sores, go ahead and take the preventative medication to avoid cold sores altogether.
3. Realistic Expectations
It is important to stress realistic expectations in any permanent cosmetics service, but especially for lip procedures. Although some clients will seek a lip blushing procedure to enlarge the appearance of their lips, overlining the lips whatsoever when tattooing is not recommended by most permanent cosmetics artists. The skin around your lips and the skin of your lips are completely different, and oftentimes when an artist overlines the lips to make them look larger, the two areas will heal completely different colors, giving the client a lip-within-a-lip look. The most an artist can typically do is tattoo in the vermillion line of a client’s lip. The vermillion line is often white and when the artist tattoos right on top of it the lips can appear slightly larger. The permanent cosmetics procedure in itself can enhance your lips making them appear somewhat larger and sometimes artists will use several different pigment colors to mimic shadows and highlights that enhance your lips even further. Either way, after your procedure is healed, your lips will stand out having been saturated with permanent cosmetics pigment.
4. Aftercare Process and Touch-Up Requirements
Immediately after a lip blushing procedure, many times the lips will appear to be swollen and very bright in color. The swelling most commonly will go down overnight or within 48 hours. If the swelling is irritating, artists recommend using a cold pack for 10 minutes at a time just barely touching the lips. This is because the artist must completely saturate the lips in order to account for the healing process. When lip procedures heal, many times they fade up to 50%. The skin of your lips is very thin and flakes quickly after a permanent cosmetics procedure, leaving a very natural appearance, but for those who are looking for a more bold look, additional touch-up procedures will be required. Most lip clients get an initial procedure, and a follow-up touch-up before their pigment is to the desired saturation. For those that want the appearance of an entirely filled-in look, additional procedures will be required. Most artists also recommend getting a yearly touch-up to maintain the longevity of your permanent cosmetics. Most artists will ask that you take care of your lips by applying an aftercare cream several times daily and cleaning the area once daily whether right before bed or first thing in the morning. You will also want to not eat any spicy foods for at least a week, and use a straw when drinking liquids to avoid irritating the procedure area. Artists most commonly also recommend not swimming, sitting in a sauna, avoiding sweating, and avoiding contact with the sun during your healing process. If you notice any peeling during your healing process, do not pick at it! This can, in some cases, pull out the pigment and leave a gap in your procedure. Proper care of your permanent cosmetics procedure is essential to receiving the results you are striving to achieve.