Permanent makeup is a cosmetic technique which employs tattoos (permanent pigmentation of the dermis) as a means of producing designs that resemble makeup, such as eyelining (eye shadows and mascara) and other permanent enhancing colors to the skin of the face, lips and eyelids. It is also used to produce artificial eyebrows, particulary in people who have lost it as a consequence of old age, disease, such as alopecia, chemotherapy or a genetic disturbance, and to disguise scars and white spots in the skin such as in vitiligo. It is also used to restore or enhance the breast's areola, such as after breast surgery. Cosmetic refers to beauty or appearance, especially concerning the human body. ... A tattoo is a design or marking made by the insertion of a pigment into punctures or cuts in the skin. ... Cosmetics or makeup are substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning. ... Mascara tube and wand applicator Mascara is a cosmetic used to darken, thicken and define eyelashes. ... Diagram of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ... The face of Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa, one of the most recognized faces in the world A human face The face is the front part of the human head from forehead to chin including the head, hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, cheek, mouth, lips, teeth, skin, and chin. ... A womans lips with various kinds of lipstick applied. ... An eyelid is a thin fold of skin and muscle that covers and protects an eye. ... The eyebrow is a bony ridge above the eye that protects the eye and bears a tuft of facial hair in most mammals. ... Alopecia is a set of disorders ranging from male and female pattern alopecia (alopecia androgenetica), to alopecia areata, which involves the loss of some of the hair from the head, alopecia totalis, which involves the loss of all head hair, to the most extreme form, alopecia universalis, which involves the... Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ... Scar after recent surgery on the left forearm A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. ... Vitiligo (IPA ) or leukoderma is the patchy loss of skin pigmentation due to an auto-immune attack by the bodys own immune system on skin melanocytes. ... In anatomy, the term areola (diminutive of Latin area, open place) is used to describe any small circular area such as the colored skin surrounding the nipple. ...

Other names used are dermapigmentation, micropigmentation, permanent cosmetics and cosmetic tattooing. These procedures are regulated in many countries and states, many of them requiring a registered professional, such as an aestheticist, dermatologist or plastic surgeon to perform it. In the USA and other countries, the inks used in permanent makeup and the pigments in these inks are subject to FDA regulation as cosmetics and color additives. Dermatology is a branch of medicine dealing with the skin, its structure, functions, and diseases (from Greek derma, skin), as well as its appendages (nails, hair, sweat glands). ... Plastic surgery is a general term for operative manual and instrumental treatment which is performed for functional or aesthetic reasons. ... An ink is a liquid containing various pigments and/or dyes used for colouring a surface to render an image or text. ... In biology, pigment is any material resulting in color in plant or animal cells which is the result of selective absorption. ... The United States Food and Drug Administration is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States. ...

Results

Results are usually good, if somewhat artificial-looking, such as in complete alopecia of the eyebrows. The skill and the experience of the tattoo artist are fundamental. Before committing to permanent makeup, particularly if for cosmetic purposes only, patients should be aware of the potential problems of later removal and complications that may ensue. As with tattooing, permanent makeup may take long painful sessions.

Permanent makeup is very useful for women who cannot apply makeup easily because they have allergic reactions to makeup materials, or have vision deficits or tremors or restrictions of precise movements of the fingers and hands, such as in arthritis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or other conditions. Permanent makeup is also used to camouflage facial scarring. For other uses, see Tremor (disambiguation). ... Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation) is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. ... A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted. ...

The pigmentation of permanent makeup may fade over time, particularly under the effect of sunlight. It usually lasts for a decade or more before fading significantly. Touching up the makeup restores original color.

Removal

As with any tattoos, permanent makeup is difficult to remove. Common techniques used for this are laser resurfacing, dermabrasion (physical or chemical peeling), scarification and surgical removal. Another interesting technique is camouflaging, i.e., adding a new pigment which counteracts the tattoo color and emulates normal skin color. Removal may be even more painful and laborious than the tattooing itself. Dermabrasion involves the removal of the surface of the skin with specialist equipment and usually involves a general anaesthetic. ... Scarification is a permanent body modification that uses scar tissue produced by the body to form designs, pictures, or words in the skin. ...

Adverse effects and complications

As it happens with tattoos, skin micropigmentation used in permanent makeup may have complications, such as allergies to the pigments, formation of scars, granulomas and keloids, skin cracking, peeling, blistering and local infection. The use of unsterilized tattooing instruments may infect the patient with serious diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis. Removal problems may also ensue, due to patient dissatisfaction or regret, and they may be particularly difficult to remove in places such as eyelids and lips without leaving permanent sequelae. Recently, FDA has reported more than 50 adverse effects associated to a specific brand of ink [1], in some cases causing serious disfigurement, resulting in difficulty in eating and talking. Complication, in medicine, is a unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment. ... An allergy or Type I hypersensitivity is an immune system malfunction whereby a persons body is hypersensitised to react immunologically to typically nonimmunogenic substances. ... Scar after recent surgery on the left forearm A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. ... In medicine (anatomical pathology), a granuloma is a group of epithelioid macrophages surrounded by a lymphocyte cuff. ... A keloid scar is a special case of a scar. ... A blister caused by 2nd degree burns A blister or bulla is a defense mechanism of the human body. ... Infected (Radio Show) is also the name of an internet radio podcast hosted by Martin Sargent. ... Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (or acronym AIDS or Aids), is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... Hepatitis is a gastroenterological disease, featuring inflammation of the liver. ... A sequela (plural sequelae) is a pathological condition resulting from a disease. ... Adverse effect, in medicine, is an abnormal, harmful, undesired and/or unintended side-effect, although not necessarily unexpected, which is obtained as the result of a therapy or other medical intervention, such as drug/chemotherapy, physical therapy, surgery, medical procedure, use of a medical device, etc. ... A meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared foodstuffs. ... Talk can mean: talk - the Unix program. ...

Rarely, some people with permanent makeup have experienced temporary swelling or burning in the affected areas when they underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The probable cause is magnetic interference with metallic components (iron oxide) of some pigments used in the tattoo. Edema (BE: oedema, formerly known as dropsy) is swelling of any organ or tissue due to accumulation of excess fluid. ... Burning may refer to any of the following: Combustion The use of a CD burner The Burning Man festival Burning-in of Photographic paper Immolation An insult (slang term) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Magnetic Resonance Image showing a vertical (sagittal) cross section through a human head. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and metals are sometimes described as a lattice of positive ions (cations) in a cloud of electrons. ... Iron oxide pigment There are a number of iron oxides: Iron oxides Iron(II) oxide or ferrous oxide (FeO) The black-coloured powder in particular can cause explosions as it readily ignites. ...

External links

• Tattoos and permanent makeup Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Permanent makeup Emory Health
• Permanent Makeup About.com
• American Academy of Micropigmentation
• Permanent Cosmetics Net
• The Society of Permanent Cosmetics Professionals