Before/After Care
These are very important instructions. Please make sure you read and understand them BEFORE the appointment.
Be Prepared for Your Appointment
It is the client’s responsibility to let us know if you have had Permanent Makeup done by someone else prior to scheduling. If you have had Permanent Makeup previously done and fail to tell us, we reserve the right to refuse service and may recommend removal. This will forfeit your booking fee for the lost appointment time.
Absolutely no sun, sweating, or tanning prior to the procedure or after the procedure for 14 days. Do not have a tan/sunburn on your face prior to your procedure. The tan will exfoliate taking color with it as it fades. If you show up to your appointment with a sunburn, you will be required to reschedule and your booking fee will be forfeited.
Botox should be performed 3 weeks before or 3 weeks after the procedure.
Retinols/Retin-A’s, any acid containing products, other anti-aging creams or serums containing acids WILL fade your permanent makeup prematurely EVEN AFTER IT IS HEALED. You must be off all Retinols/Retina-A, acid-containing products 30 days prior to appt. and for at least 30 days or more after the appt. The area will bleed and pigment will not heal properly if this is not followed. If you resume the retinols, after the 30+ days after your procedure, your brows WILL fade quickly due to the chemicals in the creams. They will blur and fade faster.
No chemical peels or lasers 30 days prior and must wait 30 days after (avoiding the forehead is recommended).
If you get your eyebrows waxed or tinted, please have this done at least 72 hours prior to your scheduled procedure. It is recommended to wait at least a week to have them waxed after the procedure.
You have to be off Accutane for 1 year.
Do NOT take Aspirin, Niacin, Vitamin E and/or Ibuprofen unless medically necessary, 48-72 hrs. prior to your procedure. Tylenol is fine.
Avoid alcohol or caffeine prior to the procedure, this will minimize any oozing or swelling after the procedure.
Getting a procedure while on your menstrual cycle can make you hyper-sensitive at the procedure site.
If there are any blemishes, pimples, active cold sores, irritation of the skin of any kind, moles, bruises or other skin imperfections IN or AROUND the area of the procedure, the procedure won’t be done until the blemish or areas of concern are completely healed or the mole is removed and healed. If you run your finger through your brows and there is a bump, there cannot be any blemishes within a fingers width of the brow. As we wipe pigment, it can get into the irritated area and stain the skin. There is no way to avoid that. (You can always email a photo the day before your procedure if you would like us to view the area of concern.)
Come to your appointment with your eyebrows drawn the way you like them (optional) if you like & bring your colored pencil of your choice. Or you can bring pictures of eyebrows you like to reference shape and thickness.
General Rules for All Procedures
No two sides of the face are the same. Perfection is our goal, but, note that nothing is PERFECT. We do not use the “P” word when doing Permanent Makeup. Sisters, NOT twins is used universally in this field.
There is NO GUARANTEES made as to the final outcome. Your skin, lifestyle and after care play a huge roll in YOUR results. Everyone heals differently, and not everyone is a candidate for the Hair Stroke procedure.
Color will fade/soften anywhere from 10%-50%. At the 4-week Touchup Session we will fine tune any area that has faded too much. Even then, there is no guarantee that the pigment will heal better. Healing is specific to each client. It is important to realize that you will need a touch-up/color boost every 1-2 yrs to maintain its fresh natural appearance. Fading WILL happen after each procedure. We do not have control over your bodies healing process or skin. You may still need to powder and/or pencil even after the healed results. This is an enhancement to your natural look. Each time a procedure is performed, scar tissue is made, causing retention to be less and less each time it is done. This is universal in all permanent makeup procedures.
Red heads, blonds & fair skin types will experience more swelling, redness and fading than darker skin types.
Dark Skin types please note that your permanent makeup will not appear as bold as lighter skin types (Indian, African American, Filipino, etc.).
If you are out in the sun a lot, have oily skin, use anti-aging creams, Retin-A/Retinol products, acidic cleansers, natural elements, regular chemical peels, or exercise frequently, your permanent makeup WILL fade prematurely. The better you take care of the treated area and follow the provided aftercare, the longer it will last.
Permanent Makeup is an art, not a science. Clients’ results will vary and using a pencil or powder may still be needed. We have no control over your bodies healing process and each time a procedure is done, the pigment will have less retention due to scar tissue.
As we age our skin changes. The permanent makeup WILL eventually look more powdered, this is universal with all permanent makeup procedures. At some point, permanent makeup services may no longer be performed on the same treated area.
Brows
Hair-strokes/microblading will NOT work over previously tattooed eyebrows, but we may be able to work with existing work as long as it is light or faded enough. Photos are required prior to booking an appointment if this is the case.
You must be off of “Lattisse” or any hair growing serum for minimum of 30 days, and it is not recommended for use on the brows at all afterwards.
Eyeliner
You must be off of “Lattisse” or any hair growing serum for minimum of 6-8 weeks.
Please come to the appointment without contact lens or lash extensions.
Lips
If you have EVER had a cold sore/fever blister, please get Valtrex or other antivirus pills from your doctor. You will need to take it before and after the procedure. Over-the-counter 1000mg L-Lysine (can be obtained from Walgreens) is also Okay to take 3 days prior to your appointment.
Must wait 8 weeks after lip injections to tattoo.
Please exfoliate your lips (sugar and honey is good) every other night starting one week before your appointment. Make sure to apply lip balm as often as needed. Drink plenty of water too. Chapped lips will not take the color evenly.
Feel free to bring your target lip color as reference. But keep in mind, the color on the skin is not the color in the skin.
After Care
FAILURE TO FOLLOW AFTER CARE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN INFECTIONS, PIGMENT LOSS, BLURRING OR DISCOLORATION.
- Understanding the Healing Process
Freshly done tattoos are delicate and need special care. The guidelines below may seem extreme, but remember, we are trying to get the skin to heal around the pigment.
Imagine your new tattoos as a series of fine paper cuts with pigment inside. Your job over the next few weeks is to make sure as much pigment as possible stays in those paper cuts so the skin can heal around them.
The skin’s first response will be to close up the area to prevent germs and viruses from entering (crusting or scabbing). During this time, the pigment is drawn deeper away from the surface until the skin heals. Once the crusting falls off, the pigment may seem to have vanished or “disappeared” in spots – THIS IS NORMAL!!! Between healing weeks 3 and 4, color will push to the surface and bloom so you will see it again!
Do Not Sweat for 10 days! This is very important because sweat contains salt, and salt is what we use to remove ink. Sweat also carries bacteria, and bacteria entering an open wound is not good! Body heat expands the pores and all of this can cause the pigment to fade, blur or not take at all.
Stay out of the sun for 2 weeks! After brows heal, use a sunblock to prevent premature fading.
No swimming for 2 weeks. The combination of the sun and the pool chlorine or sea salt will fade the color quickly.
No Tanning Bed FOR A MONTH!
Try not to sleep on your face for the first 10 days while healing.
Please do not garden, go to the gym or anyplace else that in not very clean for 10 days – you have open skin and do not want to chance infection. When out in public be mindful to not ever touch or scratch your healing brows with unwashed fingers.
Do not use any active skin treatments like Retin-A, Glycolic or any “acid” or exfoliating anti aging product on or around your eyebrows….FOREVER. This will cause them to fade faster and possibly change colors.
Regular makeup can be worn immediately after your procedure, just not on the treated area until healed. Absolutely no makeup, foundation, lotion, pencil, etc. on the brows for 14 days.
Slight redness or swelling is normal, angry or hot redness is not, you must CALL YOUR DOCTOR immediately!
Brows
Right after the procedure, gently blot/wipe the excess lymph (clearish-red fluid) away from the brows every 30 minutes after procedure with a wet wipe or a damp paper towel. You will repeat this again before bedtime. Do not shower or wash your hair and absolutely NO WATER on the brows for 48 hours after the procedure.
After 48 hours, wash the brows with a gentle cleanser (For example, Cetaphil, baby shampoo) twice a day. Blot the water on the brows and let them air dry completely. If the brows feel too dry, tight or itchy, apply a very thin layer of the healing oil/ointment after washing. Less is more. You will be totally fine without the oil. On the other hand, if too much oil is applied, the hair strokes may turn blurry and the color may fade quicker.
Oily skin clients: Please skip the healing oil since your skin produces the extra oil already. Instead, please blot the brow area with a sheet of Oil Bolting Paper (can be found at Walgreens or Target) every 3-4 hours a day during the healing process. This will help your hair strokes stay crisp and color last longer.
If you should experience any scabbing, crusting, or flaking, please let it exfoliate naturally. This will prevent any unnecessary infections or additional pigment loss. DO NOT RUB, SCRATCH OR PICK AT THE TREATED AREA. Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate off. Picking can cause scarring. NO VASELINE on the brows.
After 48 hours, when taking a shower or bathing keep the water away from them. Do Not let the water directly splash on them. If water splashes on them while bathing or showering, dry it off by blotting gently with a dry CLEAN towel. No long, steamy showers for 10 days.
If the area is still dry and flaky after the 10 days you can continue the healing oil/ointment until subsided.
- What To Expect
The eyebrows WILL appear bolder immediately after the procedure. This is common in all Permanent Makeup applications. It will begin to soften up typically within 5-30 days. When choosing a color, it is recommended to go lighter until we see the healed results. We can always go darker at the touch up. We cannot go lighter.
Hair strokes will appear crisp and bold at first, but WILL soften up in appearance as the tissue heals. The area will shed taking some color with it…this is normal. The area will begin to oxidize and darken over the 1st month.
It is very common to have areas fade more so than others. This is part of the healing process and will be treated at the follow-up session. Previously done eyebrows may take 1-3 treatments to achieve the desired result. Scar tissue in the brow area of eyebrows done multiple times will require additional procedures and fees will apply.
Eyeliner
Minor swelling and redness are expected. Use ice packs to reduce swelling as needed. Clean the tattooed area with gentle soap in the evening then twice a day during the healing process (about 5-7 days.) The swelling will decrease by day 3 with a tight feeling; pigment may lift away from the skin. By day 4 “pinching feeling” & itching will occur as the skin begins to flake. DO NOT PICK. Colors appear brighter and more sharply defined immediately after procedure. As healing progresses, color will soften, but the final color is not visible for about 4 weeks post-procedure.
Do not use any lash serums until you’ve fully healed. Do not use mascara for 7 days.
Lips
Day 1:
Moderate swelling is expected. Use ice packs to reduce swelling as needed. 30 minutes after having lips tattooed, wash lips softly with gentle soap and pat dry. This will remove lymph and blood, preventing scabs from forming. Repeat this every 30-60 minutes till bedtime. Before going to bed, apply thin layer of healing ointment.
Day 2-7:
Wash with gentle soap, rinse thoroughly, and apply the healing ointment throughout the day (with CLEAN fingers or Q-tip) to keep lips constantly moist.
During the first 7 days: do not apply ANY makeup on the lips.
During the first 14 days: DO NOT soak lips in pool, hot tub, lake or when bathing. Avoid sun exposure and excessive sweating.
Tips for optimal healing
– Sleep slightly elevated to help prevent morning-after swelling.
– Absolutely no picking, scrubbing, exfoliating or scratching of the lip area. Allow any peeling/scabbing to flake off on its own.
– Avoid spicy foods passing over the lips.
– Move lips A LOT. This will aid in faster healing.
– Once healed, daily use of a good sunscreen will provide the required protection needed for lips. This will also prevent premature fading.
Healing Process
Day 1: Swelling, tender, heavy thick lipstick looks with a reddish brick color effect
Day 2 : Slight swelling, reddish, tender and a metallic flavor
Day 3: Less swelling, thicker texture, sore, hot feeling before exfoliation with an orange color effect
Day 4: Exfoliation signs –very chapped lips DO NOT PICK
Day 5: Chapped and chapping stages DO NOT PICK
Day 6: Rich color will begin to appear
Day 7-14: Color disappears; “frosty” chapping stage begins with whitish/grayish haze on lips. Color blooms each day until day 21
Week 4-6: Healing Complete; the color you see is the color you’ll keep. Lips will remain dry for a month or two, use a balm until the full color is complete.
** It is not uncommon to lose up to 70% of color on the first application. 2 -3 procedures may be required to achieve desired color results.
Healing Ointment (After Inked NPJ® Non-Petroleum Jelly) Ingredients:
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Synthetic Beeswax, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.
Dark Lip Neutralization
Your lips may go through a process of hyper/hypopigmention during the healing process. Do not panic. The true color won’t show until 6 full weeks. Depending on how much melanin is in the skin and the target color, it’s not uncommon to take 3+ session to achieve your goal. And we refrain from using cool colors (for example, cool pink, wine, purple, etc.) on your lips after neutralization since they will bring the darkness back to the lips.
Be patient and trust the process.
Tattoo Removal
Every tattoo is different and removes at a different rate. Deep pigment can sometimes look darker and fresher as it gets closer to the surface. Once black is removed other shades of brown pigment may become visible (red, yellow). Pale translucent skin will see pigment for longer and saturated brows will take longer to remove. Fresher brows are easier to remove compared to older ones.
First 48 hours:
Any redness surrounding the treated area subsides within an hour or two. Redness within the treated area becomes brown as the skin dries out. The treated area must be allowed to fully dry out over the next 48 hours. For most people the area is touch dry within the first few hours. Only touch with very clean hands, ideally no touching for 48 hours. If the skin is not allowed to dry out quickly you will not get the best results. Do not use any other aftercare products during this initial drying out phase. Do not get the area wet or sweaty for 48 hours. For lip liner treatments, during this phase keep movements small and to a minimum.
The treated area is now very dry, and a light scab will have formed. You may see pigment visible in the scab. Apply one single packet of Cavilon barrier cream on and slightly around the scab. This single application will last for 3 to 4 days, leaving a soft film over the scab. You can get the area a little wet when washing and showering, avoid rubbing the area. After any wetness, gently hold a clean tissue on the scab to dry it out. No excessive wetting the area, no swimming etc. while the scab is on. Depending on the area treated, the scab will remain firmly attached for 5 to 14 days. Excessive movements are likely to crack the scab, which is not ideal for easy healing. Do not attempt to remove the scab before it naturally heals away from the treated area. For eyebrows, the scab might be held in eyebrow hair until gently removed. At no time can you pick off attached scabs, you will cause unwanted results.
After all scabbing has NATURALLY fallen off:
Apply one drop Vitamin E Oil 3 to 4 times throughout the day for a minimum of 4 weeks, or until next session. DO NOT start applying the Vitamin E oil UNTIL all scabbing has naturally and completely fallen off.
The next session should be 8 weeks after.
Microneedling
Immediately after the procedure, the skin may look slightly pink (like a sunburn). This will usually subside within 24 hours. Mild swelling and skin dryness/peeling within 48 hours after the procedure is also normal. After 24 hours you may apply a Zinc sunscreen of SPF 50+ or makeup, avoid the sun for the next 2 weeks. Wait for 3 days before applying any skin products that contain Vitamin C, Retinol, AHA, etc. Hyaluronic acid and collagen rich moisturizer are good skin care choices after microneedling. Oral collagen supplements are recommended to help boost your body’s collagen production.
You may not see immediate results after the treatment since it takes 4-6 weeks for the skin to heal, produce collagen and elastin and have a more youthful appearance. Most clients’ skin condition will improve significantly after 3-8 sessions. More severe skin issues such as deep wrinkles or scarring may require more sessions.