aLL ABOUT COLOR SHIFTING

Why do some eyebrows appear to turn colors over time? Can this happen to me?

Most of us have seen this before. You're going about your own business, when you see it. You're not sure at first, but after a sneaky second glance, you are certain.  Green eyebrows. She couldn't have asked for that, right? How did that happen? Can it be fixed? And more importantly, can that happen to me, too?

Fear not. We are here to answer all your questions! First we will talk about what color shifting is and why it happens, and then we will take a look at how to prevent it. 

What exactly is color shifting?

When eyebrows change color over time, we call it color shifting. Depending on the chemical composition and coloration of the pigment used in permanent makeup, it can potentially fade to a wide variety of colors over time. Gray is the most common, followed by cool colors such as greens, blues and purples. Warmer colors such as red, pink and orange are also possible, but they are less likely. It's far more common to see pigments shift towards the cool side of the color spectrum, and there are a few  separate reasons for this. 

1. The first reason is the dominant nature of cool tones. When you mix a warm and a cool, you  normally wind up with a cool color, because cooler tones prevail over warmer ones. For example, when you mix blue and yellow, you get green. When you mix red and blue, you get purple. Even though both colors have a warm parent, they still wind up looking cool. Cool tones almost always override warmer tones, and this can cause pigments used in permanent makeup to lean towards the cooler side if the mixology is not on point. 
2. The second reason is because of the composition of your skin. Keratin is a major building block of our skin, and it will filter out the warmer tones of colors that are underneath your skin. Have you ever wondered why your blood vessels look blueish, greenish, or purplish, even though the blood inside them is red? That's the keratin in action! Light shines onto your skin, and reflects off of shallow vessels, such as the ones in your arms. The vessels absorb reflect warm light, but as that light passes back through the skin, the keratin filters out the warmer tones, leaving behind only the cooler notes. The same thing happens when we implant pigment into the skin. As the light is reflected back though the skin, keratin filters out some of the warmer tones. Because of this, PMU artists need to be very careful to avoid using colors that are too cool for a client's unique complexion. These cool colors can lead to brows that look grayish.
3. The third reason has to do with the sun's effects on the longevity of permanent makeup. If you've ever left a dark jacket in your car for too long, you have probably learned the hard way that the damaging UV rays of the sun can bleach out pigments and dyes, very similar to how the it can lighten the color of your hair. Unfortunately, this also applies to permanent makeup and tattooing. Over the years, pigments will lighten as the sun exposure builds up. As these colors are bleached out, the more subtle warm tones can be bleached out at a quicker rate than the more resistant cooler tones. This effect can be compounded by reasons #1 and #2 to produce a stronger cooling effect over time. 

So, now that we've spend a moment on how color shifting happens, lets take a closer look at why.

Types of pigments and mixology

The major determining factor in color shifting is the type of pigment used. Pigments fall into one of two categories: organic and inorganic.  Don't let these labels fool you, though. In this context we are not referring to "natural" or "unnatural". All tattoo inks are formulated with both naturally occurring and synthetic components, no mater which category they fall into. Rather, in this context we are referring to living compounds. "Organic" simply describes a particle or substance that was once alive. Inorganic refers to materials devoid of life. So, in this case, inorganic pigments are made from naturally occurring minerals, while organic pigments are derived from living sources, such as plants. In either case, the pigments need to be processed and refined before they can be made into an ink suitable for use in the skin, regardless of whether they are organic or inorganic. These labels only describe the source of the pigments, not the ink as a whole. 

So why does it matter? What's the difference?

The different kinds of pigments behave very differently over time. Organic pigments tend to have very bright, vibrant colors, but because the components were once living, they are subject to decay over time. Inorganics 

 are typically less vibrant, but the colors are far more stable over time. Because the minerals were never living compounds, they are not subject to decay over time, and their chemical composition is more reliable. 

At a tattoo shop, artists often prefer organic pigments because they can create beautiful, colorful works of art with them. Additionally, most tattoos are placed in areas where they are protected by clothing at least some of the time. Cosmetic tattooing, on the other hand, is not as easy to protect from the sun, so we require pigments that are more resistant to sun exposure.  Luckily for us, we generally need colors that look like natural variations of human pigmentation, so we don't have as much use for vibrant primary colors. Unfortunately, it is very common for pigment companies to market themselves as "organic" to appeal to people's desire for natural ingredients. Because of this, technicians are often compelled by pigments that sound nice, but may not necessarily suit their needs. 

These organic pigments are the major culprit of color shifting. Because they are made from living compounds, they decay over time. As months and years pass, these organic components break down in the skin, revealing some of the undertones that were never meant to be seen when the color was mixed. Depending on the colors used, the more dominant tones can remain more prominent, while the cooler tones while less dominant tones begin to fade and eventually disappear, leaving you with off tone colors. 

 Usually, pigments will be mixed from a range of colors to achieve the perfect tone. For example, a warm brown will require red components to adjust the color. A cooler brown may contain blues or greens to counterbalance the reds in the mix. If these pigments are derived form different sources, they can decay a different speeds, leading to one pigment type dominating over another. So, if you have a cool brown, it may begin to reveal it's blue or green components as the red decays at a faster rate. Because cool tones are dominant, they become more prominent at an accelerated rate as the red fades. On the other hand, if you have a very warm brown that is not balanced with enough cool, it can shift into a shade of red or orange as the cooler components decay. If a carbon (organic) black has been used for eyeliner, this can turn blue over time as the carbon degrades and the keratin in the skin filters out what's left of the warmer tones.  All of these changes are caused by the once-living particales decay, which can alter the color of the pigments themselves, as well as the ratio of one pigment to another in the ink. 

All of that sounds really scary. Can you prevent color shifting from happening to begin with? And if it does happen can you fix it?

In many cases, we can correct this. We can choose a new pigment to balance out what is left of the old, and restore a natural looking color to the PMU. In severe cases, this can sometimes be difficult, but we usually have great luck with corrections, especially if we have the opportunity to do a follow up. However, do be warned, if a technician uses another natural pigment to correct the shifting of the original, then you have wind up with two distinct sets of color shifting, as you can see in the photo to the right. 

The good news is that this issue can generally be avoided to begin with. The key is to use high quality, inorganic pigments that don't decompose and have a long life. Most importantly, the technician needs to use pigments that have been around for a long time, so that they can see how the pigments will look years down the road. Often times, newer artists, and artists who perform their services at a discounted rate will be attracted by cheaper pigments to help them save money and keep their prices low. Unfortunately it comes with a much greater cost in the long run. 

At Tyler Permanent Cosmetics, we use only high quality, inorganic pigments that have been around for decades. This means we can see evidence of how well these pigments age even 20+ years down the line. Now, it is important to note that inorganic pigments are not immune to fading. All pigments and inks will fade as a result of sun exposure, but high quality pigments tend to fade  more slowly, and they stay true to color. Even as the pigment fades, it will retain the correct hue because the components aren't breaking down in the skin, and therefore the mixology remains constant over time. In addition to being color stable, inorganic pigments are non soluble, which means they don't dissolve. And because they don't dissolve, they cannot be moved by natural body processes. This means that the pigments won't spread out and become blurry over time, like you might have seen in old tattoos from the 20th century. 

On the other hand, some brands, are so young that we don't even know how the pigment is going to look healed, much less how they're going to look in the years to come. Why take that risk? There's just no sense taking that kind of gable when we have stable, reliable pigments already available to us in a wide variety of tones. We would rather continue to use the pigments that have been making our clients feel beautiful for years.

All of this is great information, but what if I cant have my PMU done by Tyler Permanent Cosmetics? How can I advocate for myself to make sure that I don't experience color shifting?

We totally understand! Some of our readers are just here doing research before they find a technician closer to home. It is very important to find the right technician for you, and get a chance to ask some questions before you take the plunge. You may be able to do this over the phone, over facebook messenger, or in a face to face consultation. Here are some relevant questions you might want the answers to:

• How long have you been doing permanent makeup? If a technician has been practicing for less than a few years, they may not have a great idea of how these pigments look after a few years when they have started to fade. Depending on the method of application, your technician may advise a color refresh even 1-5 years. If they have only been doing PMU for a year, it's unlikely that they've seen long term results from their pigments. 
• What kind of pigments do they use? You may not recognize the brand name that you technician tells you, but any technician should now whether their pigments are organic, or inorganic, and the difference between the two. 
• How long do they expect the pigment to last? If your technician advises you to have your PMU refreshed more often than every 2 years, it is likely that they are using organic pigments with a short lifespan. Some technicians intentionally use pigments marketed as "semi permanent" so you will want to know in advance how long the pigment will last. If the technician advises you  to have color refreshes at intervals of 2 years or longer, then ti is likely they are using high quality inorganic pigments. 
• You also ask them point blank if they have ever had any clients struggle with color shifting before. Most technicians have seen this or corrected it, even if it wasn't our original work responsible for the color shifting.  At the very least, it's nice to know if your technician has experience in this kind of correction. Color correction is a relatively advanced skill, so if your technician expresses any level of confidence in color correction, it is likely a good sign in regard to their skill level and experience. 

Having a discussion with you technician regarding your goals and concerns is always a good idea. For one, it will help you to to get on the same page with your service provider, but it will also give you an opportunity to get to know them a little bit, and see if they are receptive to your goals and concerns. Cosmetic tattooing is an incredibly personal service, so it is important to choose a service provider who you like and get along with. You want to know that you will be able to work with them for regular maintenance, and you want to feel like they truly have your best interest at heart. 

Hopefully the information in this article has been helpful for you, but if you still find yourself left with questions, you are more than welcome to reach out to us and we would be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.