From Makeup to Nails: All the Pros and Cons of Permanent Beauty Treatments

Even if you aspire to a slow lifestyle, frenetic times require you to optimize your entire agenda, including the spaces reserved for beauty rituals. A “tyranny of everyday life”, which together with the evolution of technologies and the saving factor (of time and money: the initial investment “pays for itself” quite quickly) probably explain the increasingly widespread choice of beauty treatments, such as makeup or hair removal, in their “long lasting” version . A choice that however requires the support of targeted gestures and skincare and a careful evaluation of the pros and cons (such as the rethinking factor). In this first episode we will analyze the pros and cons regarding makeup and nails, followed by chapters dedicated to hair care and one dedicated to hair removal.

Semi-permanent makeup (and microblading in particular)

Semi-permanent make-up has the advantage of being practical and ensuring flawless make-up 24 hours a day. But technological evolution is also seductive, having refined and made procedures safer and at the same time guaranteed more natural effects. "Compared to the past and its exaggerations, the current trend is to harmonize the features without distorting them: a result that can only be guaranteed by a qualified operator, a tattoo artist or beautician qualified to tattoo, who, in addition to following the European guidelines on the subject, has a perfect knowledge of the delicate harmonies of the face and the different types of skin - oily skin, for example, requires a little more attention -", says Gennaro Sorrentino , a tattoo artist specializing in semi-permanent make-up and microblading in Milan. There is also no risk of irreversibility: in addition to being safe, the inks used today are specific for cosmetic use and bioabsorbable. «They remain visible for a limited duration of one or two years on average depending on the area, thus allowing the operator to make even small changes to the initial work over time, to make it always fresh and current, also based on changes in the face related to age or renewed needs of aesthetic taste», the expert continues.

THE MOST TATTOOED AREAS Regarding the opportunities offered by semi-permanent makeup, you can, for example, tattoo the lash line with the technique called lash enhancement tattoo or invisible eyeliner , which fills the "gaps" between the lashes, at the base, making them appear thicker and fuller and thus intensifying the look, or shade the eyelids, always to give greater depth to the look. Even the lip tattoo today is very discreet: you can, for example, correct marked asymmetries or camouflage a scar that lines the lips. But, above all, you can define the contour, effectively replacing the makeup pencil, and, thanks to the chiaroscuro performed with the dermograph, you can create shades that, by optical effect, give more volume to the lips. This last method can also be used to restore color with a nude effect to lips that are too pale, but also to replace lipstick with more saturated or bright shades if you always and only love a certain nuance.

"Be careful, though, if you suffer from cold sores: to prevent the stimulation of the dermograph from reawakening the virus, a couple of days before undergoing tattooed makeup you should take an antiviral treatment prescribed by your doctor", warns Mariuccia Bucci , a plastic dermatologist in Sesto San Giovanni (MI) and past president of ISPLAD. Also on the rise are requests for freckles , a social filter effect, because they give a jaunty and holiday look. But the most requested is eyebrow microblading , because it very faithfully reproduces the effect of hair (to perform it you use a manual tool instead of the classic "electromechanical" dermograph), ensuring, if performed by trained personnel, a natural effect.

PRE AND POST SESSION BEAUTY ROUTINE

«As for the pre-session beauty routine, a few weeks before undergoing tattoo makeup or microblading, it is advisable to prepare the skin and improve its quality with a chemical exfoliation (peeling with AHA, BHA, PHA, enzymatic), which make the skin smoother, firmer and more hydrated, therefore more receptive to the treatment. Mechanical scrubs in microgranules are also valid, in this case to be performed once a week during the month before the treatment. In the months following the tattoo makeup session, however, it is possible to undergo all professional aesthetic treatments, except chemical and enzymatic peels or abrasive treatments (such as microneedling) in the treated areas, to avoid premature fading of the design.

In addition, it is also important to follow a careful skincare routine, which includes cleansing the face in the morning and evening with very delicate products , such as oil, in addition to the application of serums and moisturizing and/or restorative creams. The application of high UV protection filters is also essential, even in winter, to better preserve the color, definition and brilliance of the tattoo", explains Bucci. But if you don't like the result and you don't want to wait for it to fade naturally, you can resort to a medical laser . "The most effective are picosecond lasers and those belonging to the Q-switched category, which generate high energies in very short times, in the order of nanoseconds, selectively destroy the ink particles, minimizing damage to the surrounding tissue. Generally, 3-5 sessions are needed, but you can even get to 8-10 sessions in the most complex cases", Bucci reminds.

Semi-permanent nail polishes: respectful and with excellent results

Semi-permanent nail polish is the preferred option for those who love a super shiny finish and a perfect result that lasts up to about three weeks. Special LED or UV lamps are used for fixing. "The fear that they will damage the nail is unfounded, because today safe acrylic gels are used , which often include substances capable of creating a natural 'covalent' bond with the nail's keratin, with a recompacting effect on the same", explains Bucci, who specifies: "Of course, even in this case it is essential to rely on qualified personnel , the only one who can offer a greater guarantee on the use of quality products and on the correct application and removal technique". Among other things, today Peel Off systems are available, innovative semi-permanent nail polishes, which combine long duration (14 days) and ease of removal, without solvents and without filing, therefore even more respectful of the nails.