On this page: Contraindications, pre-appointment guidelines, patch test information, & what to expect after your appointment. Parking is limited to 90 minutes on Broadway and a majority of Downtown Street Parking. Click here for parking info & suggested lots.
Please do not wear perfume, cologne, or body spray to your appointment!
Contraindications
Certain medical contraindications for permanent makeup, and some conditions require medical clearance.
Are under 18 years old
Have an active skin disorder or have a breakout in the treatment area
Are pregnant or nursing
Have uncontrolled diabetes
Are on any blood thinning medication and/or supplements, including baby aspirin
Are taking immune-suppressing medication and/or steroids, including all types of chemotherapy, radiation, and immune suppressants for autoimmune conditions.
Have a history of an organ replacement (total contraindication)
Have a history of a joint replacement (requires physician consultation)
Have taken Accutane (or any oral tretinoin or retinoid, ie. Vesanoid, Targretin - regardless of reason for treatment) within one year
Are currently sick or on antibiotics for any reason
Have a history of keloid scarring
Have vitiligo
Frequently tan and/or have sun damaged skin
If you’ve had surgery within a year on the face, or within 6 months anywhere in the body, have any thyroid conditions or endocrine/hormone-related medical history, a history of cancer, preventative cancer treatments, autoimmune disease/disorders, are diabetic, are on any immune suppressing medications and/or steroids, take precautionary antibiotics for dental work, or are currently under a doctor's care for any reason, please schedule a call with me or send me an email prior to your appointment to discuss specifics for your procedure. There may be additional risks and/or steps you must take prior to your procedure.
Do NOT come to your appointment if you are sick or getting over being sick. I cannot work on you; you would not heal well.
Pre-appointment Guidelines
These are the most commonly relevant circumstances that could affect permanent makeup. This is not a complete list and each individual's case is different. If you have any concerns or believe some of this information may be relevant to you, please reach out via phone or email.
Reminder to all clients: no alcohol, caffeine, or working out 24 hours prior to the appointment.
Avoid supplements or OTC medicines that thin the blood for 5 days prior to the appointment (ie. Fish oil, Omega-3, Vitamin E, Niacin, Garlic supplement, Tumeric supplement, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, etc.)
Note: Please do NOT discontinue any medications or necessary supplements without consulting your physician.
If you use Latisse or a lash growth serum, you are at a high risk for bleeding and migration of pigment. Please call me to reschedule after 6-8 weeks of last use.
Do not tan within 10-14 days of your appointment. Sunburn must be healed at least 1 month. Frequent tanners are not candidates for permanent makeup.
Certain skin care products, routines, botox, and fillers can affect permanent makeup. Acne treatments, chemical peels, and laser treatments must be at least 1 month before/after your appointments. Ingredients in skincare that can affect your procedure are: Retinol, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (lactic acid, glycolic acid, etc.), Beta Hydroxy Acids (salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, etc.), antibiotic acne creams, and more. Hyaluronic acid is okay! You are welcome to send me a picture of the products you use or bring them to your appointment for clarification. Botox has a wait period of 3 weeks, fillers have a wait period of 1 month.
For Eyeliner Procedure: If you wear contact lenses and are having an eyeliner procedure, bring glasses to your appointment. We recommend not wearing contacts for 72 hours after an eyeliner procedure to reduce the risk of introducing bacteria to the eye area
For Lip Tint Procedure: Please consult with your physician for an antiviral prescription to take prior to and following the procedure if you have a history of cold sores (even if you’ve had just one and it was years ago!). Lips are extremely delicate, and the skin trauma caused by tinting will almost always trigger a severe outbreak if you carry the virus, even if it’s been dormant for a very long time. This is crucial for the virus not to spread to the entire lip area and for the color to heal well.
Clients with eyelash extensions:
If you are having your brows done, you will not be able to have a lash fill for 10 days following your brow appointment. Please plan accordingly.
For an eyeliner procedure, lashes off for at least 2 weeks prior to your appointment, and keep them off until 4 weeks after your second session.
A majority of these guidelines decrease the risks associated with thin blood/increased bleeding. This increased risk may cause undesired healing such as poor retention, dark healing, color changes, and/or migration of pigment. It is crucial that we control the environmental factors that could affect how you heal by following these pre-appointment guidelines. These guidelines are set to ensure you can achieve great healed results from permanent makeup. Poor healing can result from certain medications, underlying medical conditions, a skin type not suitable for the procedure, poor pre-care, and poor aftercare.
Patch Test Information: A patch test is not required, and a majority of clients decline a patch test. If you are concerned about having a negative reaction to the procedure, topical anesthetics, or pigment, a patch test may ease your mind. As a cosmetic tattoo artist, I cannot diagnose or treat a reaction. A patch test allows the client to self-monitor and in the unlikely event of a reaction, the client will be directed to a physician. If you would like a patch test prior to your procedure, please contact me to schedule a separate appointment before your procedure.
What to Expect After Your Appointment:
The area must be kept clean, dry, and free of makeup, sun exposure, and products other than aftercare ointment for at least 2 weeks after the procedure. During the healing phase, the procedure area will get dark, bold, flaky, and you may experience some slight swelling. Please keep this in mind when booking your appointment, as this could interfere with your workout routine, activities, upcoming social events, and vacations. Do not use Retinol, Vitamin A, Alpha hydroxy acids over 5%, and/or Vitamin C skin care products. Doing so will fade your permanent makeup, and doing so while healing could cause injury to the skin.
Permanent cosmetics are done over 2 sessions. Pre-care and post-care are crucial for BOTH appointments. We will supply you with aftercare products and instructions to care for your new permanent makeup. You should not use anything else on the area for at least 10 days.
The Healing Journey:
Phase 1: approximately 10 days after your procedure, your skin will appear healed, flakes/scabbing will have subsided, and the color will look very light and patchy. You are now “healed” enough that you may wear makeup on the area. Expect patchiness in color at this point of healing. The first 7-10 days or so are a roller coaster. The brows will get dark, potentially have light scabbing, peel off, and seem to disappear by around day 10. This is normal! Please trust the process and do not pick to “check” if there is color underneath the scabbing. This can lead to uneven healing and scarred skin.
Phase 2: Around 6-8 weeks following the procedure, the color will have settled, and skin will be healed enough to work on for your second session. This session is to perfect any light areas, and/or slightly tweak the color and or shape depending upon how you heal. Permanent makeup is always a 2-part procedure, occasionally, a third session may be necessary.
Phase 3: Long term healing: After the healing process phase 2 is complete, you are considered “fully healed”. I like to call this period phase 3, because permanent makeup procedures require maintenance. How often depends on the individual’s health, healing, lifestyle, medications, and each individual’s body chemistry.
Around 9 months you may begin to see early signs of “fading”, but you should not rush to schedule a touch up. This is normal. The color may fade, the tone may slightly shift (too warm or too cool), and they may seem to “shrink’ a bit. This is all totally normal and should be explained to you during the consultation portion of your first session so you know what to expect.
I suggest maintenance to my clients anywhere from 18 months to 3 years. Again, this varies per individual. Some clients may require maintenance closer to 12 months, some closer to 5 years.