If you’re considering cosmetic tattooing to enhance your eyes, brows or lips, you’ve probably wondered how long the procedure takes to heal. While no two bodies are identical and there are a number of factors that can influence healing time, there are some general guidelines you can rely on to plan your procedure.

What You Should Know About Permanent Makeup

While it’s one of the most popular terms used to describe cosmetic tattooing, “permanent makeup” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s true that in the industry’s infancy, makeup was applied using the same inks and many of the same techniques used by traditional body tattooists. These days, though, things have advanced far beyond the days of too-bright, unnatural colors and no-budge permanency. Now, pigments designed and created expressly for facial cosmetic tattooing are utilized by the best practitioners in the game and the proper terminology is “semi-permanent makeup.”

There are a lot of variables when it comes to determining exactly how long your semi-permanent cosmetics will last, but a lot of it comes back to proper aftercare and the application site.

As for healing time, this is also influenced by a variety of factors; the skill with which they are applied is a significant one. When you work with an expert in cosmetic tattooing, redness and swelling should be minimal. Your new makeup will be darker than you expect for the first few days after application, but will lighten to the expected shade over the course of the healing process.

Why Cosmetic Tattooing Aftercare Matters

Working with an expert is vital, but it’s not the only way you can protect your new cosmetic enhancements. Proper aftercare is just as important; this has a huge impact on both how long it lasts and how good it looks over time.

For the first four to six weeks, it’s important not to get soap, cleansers or shampoo on the treated areas of skin. Picking and scratching at any dry skin or flakiness can cause scarring and pigment loss, so avoid the urge to pick. It’s also wise to schedule your appointment at a time when you can comfortably forgo applying makeup to the treated area for two full weeks. Almost any kind of makeup can interfere with healing and alter the color of your tattoo.

Sara Justice is the Atlanta area’s premier destination for cosmetic tattooing. Expert application paired with meticulous sanitization of all surfaces before and after each procedure help stave off infections. Single-use application kits ensure you’re never sharing any aspect of your kit with the customer before or after you on the schedule; everything is disposed of when your procedure is completed.

Ready to take the plunge into a life of less time spent in front of the mirror, and more time saying, “I woke up like this?” Call or contact Sara Justice today to learn more about semi-permanent makeup.