These days, it seems just about everybody has booked in for a semi permanent makeup procedure whether it be microblading, power brow, lip blush, lip liner or eyeliner/lash enhancement micropigmentation.
whilst there are hundreds of very experienced artists out there who are capable of creating some of the most beautiful semi-permanent makeup work – one thing that we can agree on is that after time, pigment tends to change colour whether it be fading of the pigment, sun exposure, lifestyles or other contraindications through skin care and varying face products.
Not only is pigment change an issue when it comes to semi-permanent makeup, due to the ever-expanding availability in Botox, dermal fillers, skin peels and other highly effective facial enhancement treatments- the shape and style of SPMU treatments can also alter in time on your face. When semi permanent makeup is left on the skin demonstrating a colour or shape that you may not be happy with, this can often lead to self-confidence issues.
However, at Eclipse we have several options to help rectify this. First off there is the option of semi permanent makeup removal in which the procedure is quite literally in the title. using a certain technique we are able to pull existing pigment from the skin using a quick and painless technique which will eliminate any pigment migration, pigment that has changed colour and the removal of dodgy previous work!
alternatively, if it is not so much the shape of the previous work you are unhappy with, we also offer a technique known as colour correction in which certain undertones of pigment are needled over the existing work in order to alter the hue of the brows or SPMU work that has become too warm or too cool overtime.
So how does the removal work?
SPMU removal treatment consists of a saline solution being embedded in the skin. the saline solution consists of a concentrated salt combination that is placed into the skin using the same technique that was initially used to create the SPMU. so for example if you are wanting to remove microblading, you would apply the saline solution using a hand held blade and pressing the concentrated solution into the individual hair strokes that were initially created. if it is powder brow or ombre brow that you are wanting to correct for example, then you would embed the solution into the skin using the electronic machine initially used to create the block brow. because the saline solution is such a high concentrate of salt, the product dries out the skin that contains the tattoo pigment and as the skin and product dry, the pigment is pulled out from the skin.
Any kind of tattoo removal is a process, much like the initial tattooing procedure. for example you will have an initial treatment and then you will have a follow up appointment to ensure enough of the pigment has absorbed into the skin, with the removal process; it’s the reverse- so you will have an initial treatment to start dissolving the pigment, and then after several weeks it is recommended that you book in for a follow up appointment in which you will see the pigment lightning and the brows healing. Sometimes it may take three to four sessions before the brows or SPMU ink appears naked on the skin.
How does the correction work?
So, with removal of brows, this procedure is used to eliminate existing pigment and shape created by the artist. this is usually favoured by someone who is not happy with the work that has been done, the shape and the general aesthetic created
however, correction of SPMU is offered as an alternative to someone who is perhaps happy with the shape and general an aesthetic that was initially performed but overtime the saturation of pigment has altered. when SPMU ink is old in the skin, we often find that it can go one of two ways. either the warmth from the pigment disappears leaving anashy, grey undertone and in some cases, it can appear blue, whilst other people may find they suffer from what is known as “salmon brow”, which is when the pigment heals, and starts to fade into an orangey pink colour on the skin.
whilst we don’t need to go into a full colour theory explanation- there are various reasons as to why different pigments react differently on different skin types. This is solely down to the undertone of pigment initially used V’s the undertone of the client’s skin.
To counteract a grey or ashy undertone- an orange/ warm undertone pigment is traced over the existing work to push in undertones that have been eliminated overtime.
to counteract a salmon brow or SPMU work that has turned too warm can be settled down using a cooler, usually olive undertone pigment.
This being said, we can ensure you that you will not be left with green or orange SPMU work!! just like the removal, correctional work also requires a top up in order for the pigment adjustment to settle and heal true to the desired look.
At Eclipse, we offer training in both SPMU removal and correction. if you are someone who is not wanting to train in these techniques but are someone who has had previous SPMU work done but feel it needs a tweak or correction, then please get in touch as we are always looking for models for these treatments on our training days!