Why do people seek permanent cosmetics?

   As permanent makeup gains prevalence in the mainstream, more and more folks are asking "What's the point?" 

   To some, it may seem a bit counterproductive to make a whole appointment and go through a scary procedure just so that you don't have to apply makeup every day. But to others, permanent makeup can be a life changing appointment that helps you to live your best life, without having to spend your days fussing over applying makeup, or worrying about how it looks, whether you've smudged your brows, or if your eyeliner is creasing. 

   Beyond convenience, there are many reasons people seek permanent cosmetics, and many of our clients have needs rooted much deeper than their frustration with makeup pencils. Medical conditions, health and mobility impairments, and injuries are among the most common reasons our clients find themselves looking for alternative solutions to applying makeup. 

   Perhaps you are reading today because you just can't fathom why someone would have permanent makeup, of all things, or perhaps you're already interested in permanent makeup, and you just want to see if other people are in the same boat as you. Today we will discuss some of the specific motivations that lead people to PMU, and explore how this affects the lives of our clients. Read on, you just might recognize yourself in some of these situations. 

   Believe it or not, many people get permanent makeup just to make their lives a little easier. Women who wear makeup can tell you all about their struggles. First, you have the nagging task of applying it each and every day, then you have to remove your lipstick before enjoying a meal, only to reapply it afterwards. Even after repeated touch ups, you may still walk past a mirror only to realize you've messed up your eyeliner at some point during the day. While some women have a natural affinity for makeup, some of us just find it to be an exhausting chore. If you feel this way, I promise you're not alone.  People turn to permanent makeup as a long term solution to a variety of issues caused by the demands of wearing topical makeup. 

   For brows, the biggest issues tend to be finding a product that looks natural, and applying that product in a way that looks both natural and flattering. For those with darker hair, it may be easy to find an appropriately colored pencil, but for lighter tones, like blondes, reds, and greys, it can be a nightmare to find a makeup pencil that isn't too dark and has the right tones. Blondes often look gray or green, depending on your skin tone, and reds are usually far too red, or not red enough. Once you find a color that works for you, the pencil may still be too hard or soft to draw with, or it may be too easy or difficult to remove. 

   Permanent make up, on the other hand, has dozens upon dozens of colors to choose from ranging from grays and blondes to bold browns, and everything in between. Blondes come in both warm and cool varieties to suit every skin type, and often the cool varieties suit gray hair varieties perfectly. Similarly, browns range from light to bold, and come in warm and cool tones to suit all ranges of complexion. For red hair, we typically use a blonde or soft brown, with added red if necessary, to match your unique color palette. If, for some reason, there is not a color that is just right for you, we can always modify colors as needed to suit unique needs. 

   Eyeliner is a similar story. Pencils often go on too thick to achieve a natural look, and liquid eyeliner can be messy to apply. If you have hooded lids, you most likely find that even when the liner is applied perfectly, it just won't stay put. It always wants to smudge, or transfer to the upper lid. For those with chronic dry eye, sometimes eye makeup is simply too irritating, leading to redness and itching. Some with dry eye struggle with teary, watery eyes, which makes it nearly impossible to keep eyeliner on after it's applied.

   Permanent eyeliner always stays put, and looks fresh and crisp like you just put it on. You can op to have your eyeliner as thick or as thin as you prefer, and  in a variety of colors from soft browns to black, or even blue or green if you choose. Most importantly, it's completely water proof, so you don't have to worry about any running or smudging, regardless of your lifestyle. You can work out, rub your eyes, or even go swimming and still have perfect eyeliner all the time. 

   And don't even get us started on lips! Everyone gets tired of having to remove and reapply lipstick before and after every meal. Many lipsticks tend to bleed outside of the lip throughout the day, especially if you (like most of us) have creases in your lip tissue. For those of us who don't have a defined lip border, it can be a nightmare to apply lip stick or lip liner symmetrically. Permanent lip color helps to define the lip shape, restore lost color and volume, and adjust color. Lip color can be applied to look as natural, or as bold as necessary to suit your unique preferences.

  Having permanent lip color applied eliminates the need to fight with lipstick on a daily basis, without having to sacrifice the appearance of your lips. And of course, you can always apply lipstick over it, if you ever want a bolder look or a different color for a special occasion. 

This is by far the most common reason clients seek our services. These also tend to be the cases that make the biggest impact on us, as technicians, because it is such a wonderful opportunity to help our client to restore something that has been taken from them, even if that just means helping them to see a happier face in the mirror. These are often the clients that leave with the most joy, and in turn we are delighted to have such a meaningful impact on someone's quality of life. 

 There are a variety of medical issues that can increase one's desire for makeup, or reduce their ability to apply it. Some conditions, like tremors and arthritis can make it more difficult to apply makeup,  even for those who were once skilled. Arthritis can make it painful to apply makeup, and tremors can make the hands shake so badly that it's impractical or downright impossible to apply makeup. 

 On the other hand, some autoimmune conditions can dramatically affect one's appearance. Alopecia, for example, wipes out hair follicles, which can result in hair loss anywhere on the body, but most notably the head and face. Similarly, vitiligo is an autoimmune condition that affects the pigmentation of skin and hair, making patches of your body look stark white in contrast to the pigmentation of the rest of your body. Even worse, these are not necessarily conditions you are born with. They can begin to affect you spontaneously at any point in your life, meaning that someone who never had a need to apply eyebrow makeup, might suddenly find themselves with no eyebrows, and lack the skill to apply this makeup, due to no fault of their own. 

Chemotherapy is another major cause for the loss of eyebrows and eyelashes. So many of our clients tell the same story. "I knew I'd lose my hair of course, but it never occured to me that it meant my eyebrows and eyelashes, too." 

It's a sad story that's all too common among cancer survivors. Some never get their brows and lashes back, while others might get a few light hairs to return, and nothing more, even if the rest of their hair begins to grow relatively normally. Many of these survivors have described how, even long after their recovery, they still see a patient in the mirror. For these folks, men and women alike, permanent cosmetics is often the final step in the healing process in which they restore their former appearance so that they don't feel like they see a patient in the mirror any more. 

Allergies are less common, but still prevalent. Topical makeup products contain many allergens and sensitizing agents, and because cosmetics aren't strictly regulated, there's really nothing to stop cosmetic companies from using irritating agents in their makeup. Thankfully, PMU pigments are produced much more strictly. The general approach to tattoo pigments is to produce them as simply and sustainably  as possible. Typically our inks contain only water, glycerin, alcohol, and the pigment compounds themselves. No parabens, sulfates, fragrances, or other sensitizing agents. Though the application of cosmetic tattooing is likely to cause temporary irritation, these effects are generally mild and pass quickly. After the first few days, you won't have to worry about redness or irritation for years to come. 

Aside from chronic illness, many people suffer sudden injuries, which can temporarily or permanently affect their ability to put on makeup, or change their appearance dramatically, depending on the type of injury. 

Injuries to the hands, like broken bones or sprains, can temporarily make it difficult to apply makeup. While it's relatively rare for folks to seek out permanent makeup for a temporary injury like this, it is certainly not unheard of. Similarly, certain injuries, such as those causing nerve damage to the hands, can permanently affect the ability to apply makeup. These cases are a lot more common for us.

More severe injuries can dramatically impact one's appearance. Burns to the face can change prevent hair from growing back, and can even change the appearance of one's face. In these cases, we often have to start from scratch to help recreate a client's brows, following the anatomy of the skull and facial muscles to create brows that look natural and flattering. This can really help to reduce the dramatic appearance of injuries and help client's feel less estranged. 

Injuries like broken bones and lacerations to the face can create major asymmetries that can be difficult to balance. Often, scarring will reduce or eliminate hair growth in part of the brow. We can help to balance the brows as much as possible, and patch in any areas that may no longer have hair growth, to help restore a healthy appearance. 

Some of us a  simply lack the ability to apply makeup for one reason or another.  Poor vision is one of the most common causes of this. Many people struggle with a variety of vision impairments. For those who wear glasses, it can be incredibly difficult, or even impossible, to put on eyeliner when you need glasses to see what you're doing. Others might have an age related vision impairment that can't be addressed with glasses or contacts. For these people, putting on makeup can be incredibly stressful, at best. For some of us, we truly just can't put it on.

And lets be frank, some of us just aren't great at applying makeup. Makeup application is a skill that comes naturally for some, but for others it just never clicks.  Some only wear it out of  perceived necessity, don't spend much time practicing, and as a result, it just isn't a skill that winds up in the mix. For these folks it can be so much easier to just have it applied once and for all, and not have to worry about it anymore. No more crooked lips, jagged or creased eyeliner, or whopperjawed brows. Many people come to us simply because they are embarrassed by their ability to apply makeup, and they don't want to fight a losing battle anymore. Permanent makeup is a great way to achieve the look you so desire, without the stress of applying makeup, or having "bad makeup" days.