• Helpful Guidelines to use when selecting a Permanent Makeup Practitioner
• Not all hair strokes are created equal, choose your artist carefully
• Numb & Number…Naturalook’s approach to comfort
• Pigments & Fading: How long will your color last?
• Latisse Study

1. How experienced is your technician?
Don’t ever hesitate to ask your technician about her training and experience. This is key to a quality outcome and to avoiding potential serious complications. Many technicians complete only a 2 day seminar with no other instruction. In addition, they may perform other services and only see an occasional permanent makeup client. Remember to ask where they trained, what trade organizations they belong to and how many procedures they perform a week. In order to confidently and skillfully apply permanent makeup, one needs to have enough experience to have been exposed to the many different obstacles that may arise during and after a procedure. A skilled, experienced technician usually performs 10-25 cases a week and can address these challenges without difficulty. At NaturaLook, Jeanee Lusby has made the application of permanent cosmetics her sole specialty. As a proud member of The Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals and the American Academy of Micropigmentation, she has been trained by the most talented and experienced specialists in the country and has performed thousands of cases.

2. Is your technician OSHA compliant?
Although permanent makeup is not a sterile procedure, it is imperative that your technician’s procedure area be a safe, clean environment to reduce the risk of infection and cross contamination. Your technician should display a current certificate of compliance with OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Compliance Directive CPL 2-2.69 Standard #1910.1030. OSHA logo and be registered with their local Health Department. Permanent cosmetic procedures should not be performed in hair or nail salons. Hair clippings and fumes from hair and nail products may pose possible contamination and airborne pathogen problems. All procedures at NaturaLook are performed in a OSHA compliant, professional, medical office.

3. What type of instrumentation and pigments does your technician use?
Ask your technician to educate you on the type of instrument she will be using to implant your color as well as the products to be used. Digital machines are the most technologically advanced permanent makeup machines available and are the only modalities used at NaturaLook to implant color. They are the first “rotary/pen” machines that virtually eliminate the possibility of cross contamination and have a microchip in the pen itself which helps regulates speed and depth of pigment placement. Tattoo inks and dyes should never be used for permanent makeup procedures. These products have been known to migrate (move) under the skin over time. Your technician should be able to provide you with a comprehensive list of ingredients to the pigments the she recommends. She should also be aware of and explain to you any known allergic reactions specific to the pigments. At NaturaLook, all of our pigments are formulated in FDA approved labs and are MRI safe.

4. Does your technician carry professional liability insurance?
Very important…ASK! Most credible permanent makeup professionals, who take their business seriously, consider it reckless not to maintain liability coverage. For your protection, you should know that your technician is properly insured for coverage that specifically includes client dissatisfaction. Rest assured, NaturaLook carries full coverage through Professional Program Insurance.

Not all hair strokes are created equal, choose your artist carefully
Creating natural-looking hair strokes in the eyebrow with mircropigmention is truly an art It’s critical that if this is the desired look you are seeking, you first do the proper research.  Permanent makeup artists today have many options available regarding the machines, needles, pigments, and techniques that they choose.  These are all factors important to  the outcome of the procedure, however; the most important element to consider is actually seeing the artist’s work.  Be certain that the photos you are viewing are actual clients of the perspective artist. It is imperative to view pictures of brows in several different stages: before, immediately after and healed.  This will give you a better perspective of the artistic ability of the artist.

There is no one way to produce a “hair stroked brow”.  The artist must take into consideration the client’s existing brow and brow hair (or lack thereof ).  At NaturaLook, each client is individually counseled and we discuss realistically her brow outcome options.  Our goal is to create designs with movement and dimension that not only look natural, but complement and enhance her existing features and appearance. Below are a few examples of techniques used when designing a natural-looking hair stroked brow.

Technique and Design:

If a client has absolutely no existing brow hair, one suggestion is to create a lightly colored powdered design as a background before implanting the hair strokes.  In some cases, it is best to do dimensional work in stages, meaning tattoo a soft background color as a template then send the client home for 4-6 weeks.  After the color has healed and dried in the skin, then add movement by implanting multi-colored and sized hair strokes, one hair at a time.  This approach ensures that the skin is not overworked at the first visit and if more than one color (always recommended when creating natural designs) was used, they didn’t “muddy” together. 

Think of it like if you were painting a stencil on a wall…you would first paint the wall, let it dry, and then paint on the decorative stencil.  The same applies when implanting accents strokes to a powder filled eyebrow.  Patience on the part of the client and the artist usually always produces the best work AND…you really do get what you pay for, this is the time to be looking for a bargain.

If the client has hair, but it is sparse, usually the entire hair stoked design can be completed at her initial visit but, a follow up “perfection” visit is essential to add accent strokes.  Either way, the talent of the artist is paramount, so please…. Do your home work and ask to see photos!

Recently I attended some classes and hands-on workshops that exposed me to a variety of different products and techniques.  It was interesting and a good learning experience and has inspired me to share my thoughts on this particular subject.

It’s true that administering pain control products is important, however, we all  need to be cognizant of the effects they may have on the pH of the skin, the concentration level of the pigments we are using and communicate with our patient that they MAY STILL FEEL something.

Of course we want our clients to be comfortable, but it’s easy to get side-tracked and lose focus of why they are in our office in the first place, and that’s to have us implant beautiful, lasting safe color.  While attending this workshop,  I witnessed technicians GLOB mass amounts of unnecessary numbing agents on to the lash lines of the models all the way up to the brow.  It looked like white spackle or vanilla yogurt spread over the entire eye socket, which to me posed a bigger threat of melting into the eye.  I will address this more below.  At this point, I was reminded that the person hosting the event also “sold” the numbing products, so the more used, the more sold.  Hey, this is the good old USA and I’m all for free enterprise, so, sell away.  As a matter of fact, if it were not for some of the very progressive and innovative entrepreneurs in our industry, we’d still be rubbing ice cubes and dental “hurricane” on our clients.  On the other side of that argument, one could go broke just purchasing numbing agents if we are not careful. Not to mention the safety threat.

That being said, we need to remember there is a cornea under the lid that we are working on.  The cornea is responsible for 30% of our vision.  Even our safest products can compromise the health and integrity of the corneal epithelial layer if overused.  PROCEED WITH CAUTION.  LESS IS MORE. 

For an eyeliner procedure, I recommend that all technicians start by applying a moderate “bead” of an over-the counter product (usually a Lidocaine 3%, Tetracaine 2%  combo) to the lash line.  Allow this first application to saturate and desensitize the clean lash line for approx. 10 minutes.  Then, using either a stippling or rolling technique, make a delicate shallow pass across the lash line to disrupt the tissue enough to apply a layer of a lidocaine/epinephrine product.  Some products work best when the skin has been disrupted.  There are a few techniques to this approach.  When disrupting skin other than the lash line, some artists prefer to buff the skin with what looks like a finger nail buffer, others will use a dry needle.  My favorite technique is to use either a 0.5 or 1.0 derma roller on clean skin before applying the anesthetic of choice.  The micro needles create an even aeration pattern across the epidermis just enough to allow for a proper saturation of a pre-numbing agent.  After a 10 minute wait time, I then make a gentle 1st pass, then apply a more aggressive anesthetic agent.

Again, allow this mixture to saturate into the tissue for at least 5 minutes.  Remember, we have a limited window of time to get in and get out!  The skin can only be desensitized for a short period of time and it’s imperative that the color goes into the intended layer of skin before the histamines rise to the surface.  Working on a swollen lid, filled with fluid is a waste of time and is usually caused by overworking the tissue.  Try to make every pass count and don’t forget that your client trusts you with not only the permanent make up design, but with the health of the tissue you are working on.

Next, I’d like to address stretch and grip.  Body artists oftentimes will use vasoline to help their needles glide over large areas and to ease in their shading techniques.   We are not body tattoo artists.  We work in small areas with different products, different machines, different needles, and in most cases, on different areas of the body.  A slippery, slimy, product is really not our friend as we need to have a good,  taut stretch to be effective.   I personally do not use ointment based anesthetics during my procedures for the following 2 reasons;

1. I cannot get a good grip which compromises my stretch
2. It wastes precious time. I’ve observed trainers try to teach students to use 5 different numbing agents during 1 procedure.  In my opinion, this is unnecessary.  I’ve witnessed artists who are more fixed on keeping the client comfortable than doing a good procedure. 

Tell yourself you have “X” amount of time to do your best work.  Focus on creating your best possible work using only the necessary amount of numbing agent.  Allow yourself to channel your energy into creating a beautiful design all while listening to and watching you client closely.

Pigments & Fading: How long will your color last?
That’s right, if you are one of the thousands of women who enjoy the benefits of permanent makeup, you may have noticed that your color is not as brilliant and intense today as it was when you initially had it applied. That’s because, the colors used in micropigmentation are cosmetic colorants, and, like all colors, they fade over time. Think about it…what happens if you put a red throw rug out in the sun for a week or two? How about curtains or drapes over time? Again…all color fades. For a realistic expectation, clients need to think of this as a “low maintenance”, not a “NO maintenance” procedure. Clients should plan to visit their artist once a year for a color boost or enhancement to restore their designs to the desired color and hue temperature.

NaturaLook Institute of Permanent Cosmetics is dedicated to the continuous education and innovation in the micropigmentation industry. We love what we do and do what we love. “I just adore my l clients. It seems like every time they come back to see me, we are changing colors, needles, products or techniques because the industry is continuously getting better and better”. ~J. Lusby For these reasons and more, it’s important that clients to return each year or two to refresh their color and/or design…it’s also youthful and progressive to explore and implement their new options. As an artist and business owner, it’s very easy to get left behind in this fast- paced profession.

Latisse Study
NaturaLook is pleased to announce an internal investigation designed to explore the effects of permanent eyeliner on individuals that have been using Latisse, a FDA approved prescription treatment for inadequate lashes. Latisse was approved by the FDA as a novel treatment for hypotrichosis, or lack of lashes, in 2008. More recently, some migrating of color and excessive bleeding has been reported on individuals that have been using Latisse after and during their permanent makeup procedure on their upper eyelids.

As an artist and industry professional, I believe that there are several factors that may be contributing to the increased interest in this phenomenon. Some of these contributing elements include: technique, product, device, speed, depth of needle, angle of needle, needle configuration (s), and the live canvas itself.  To better isolate and identify potential complications and side effects, Naturalook will be conducting an internal investigation to study the effects and possible complications of micropigmentation on lash line tissue that has been exposed to Latisse for a minimum of 3 months using only digital equipment.

We are looking for twenty (20) Caucasian women between the ages of 30-55 to participate in the investigation. The participants will apply Latisse as directed on one upper lash line (solution will be provided) for a period of 90 days (3months). The participants must agree to monthly slit lamp lash line photos.  After the 90 days, participants will have both upper lid lash lines tattooed with an iron oxide pigment. During the procedure, NaturaLook will document and video the procedure.  Clients will be asked to return for  a perfection visit and post-procedure photos in approximately 4-6 weeks after their initial treatment. 

I you or someone you know are interested in being involved in our study and meet the above criteria, please call our office at: 866.550.LOOK or email at: info@naturalook.com. All Latisse product and permanent makeup procedures will be offered at no charge to qualifying participants.