What is permanent makeup?
Permanent makeup is the process of implanting pigment into the dermis layer of the skin to create the effect of perfect, professionally applied makeup, 24 hours a day.
The skin (derma) is an outer cover consisting of all types of tissue. It protects our body from the elements. The dermis layer protects from pathogens and excessive loss of water.
Tattooing has been around for centuries in many different forms, but the use of cosmetic tattooing dates back to at least as early as the beginning of the 20th century when it was pioneered by tattooist George Burchett. George Burchett was a tattooist from Brighton who became one of the first ‘celebrity’ tattooist with royalty from UK and Europe amongst his client list. It became more prominent during the 1930s and is still growing in popularity today!
Permanent makeup is known by a few different names: Semi-Permanent Make up’, Cosmetic tattooing and Micropigmentation. This in itself can cause confusion. All of these are valid names and all are widely used. They all refer to the same procedure.
The main grey area relates to the use of the terms ‘Permanent and Semi-Permanent’. While the pigments are permanent there are factors within the skin that cause the pigment to breakdown, i.e. sun exposure, as the skin cells die and disperse so does the colour and so causes fading. The colour will never fully disappear.