What can go wrong with permanent make-up?
Failed permanent make-up is not something you simply get rid of. Just as with a tattoo, the process of removing everything takes a very long time. You can never get it all off in one go. So know what you are getting into. Think carefully about whether the salon you are going to is the right one and has enough experience.
You often see that with old permanent make-up the eyebrows look grey and dull. This is mainly because the PMU has been placed too deep in the skin. With pigmentation, only the first skin layer is pigmented. If you work too deep, towards the second or sometimes even the third skin layer, your permanent make-up becomes greyish. The PMU can also turn red from working too deep.
Here is an example of failed permanent make-up, both powder brows and microblading:
Awful to see, but even more awful to have to wear every day. Covering it with make-up is no longer an option.
Failed permanent make-up eyeliner
Failed permanent make-up eyeliner is particularly unpleasant, because it directly affects your appearance. A failed eyeliner can for example be uneven, too thick, too thin or even discoloured. This can be due to an incorrect technique, incorrect placement or the use of inferior pigments.
An experienced PMU specialist can assess the failed eyeliner and draw up a treatment plan together with you. Sometimes a correction treatment can help, but in severe cases removal with a laser technique or saline solution is the best option.
What can you do if your permanent make-up has failed?
When your permanent make-up has failed, you can always have an expert look at it. An experienced PMU specialist could possibly restore and cover the failed permanent make-up. However, this is not always straightforward. It requires more than one treatment and should only be treated by an experienced specialist.
Many salons focus on applying PMU for clients without old PMU. We are different in this respect. We want to help people get rid of their old PMU. You can therefore always come in for a consultation. Together we can draw up a treatment plan to remove the old permanent make-up partly or fully.
When the old permanent make-up has been properly removed and has faded, new permanent make-up can probably be applied over it. It depends strongly on how the skin heals. Sometimes you can be left with scars from a poor PMU session.
How can you prevent failed permanent make-up?
There are ways to prevent failed permanent make-up. It depends strongly on the salon you go to, whether you have read up on this salon, and who you end up with.
A few tips: check whether the salon is GGD-approved, look at the salon's social media, read reviews, visit the website, ask questions, look at healed work from the salon, compare prices, listen to other people's experiences and go with your gut feeling.
Follow these steps and put some energy into it before you make a final decision. This way you will probably prevent failed PMU.
There are ways to prevent failed permanent make-up. Permanent make-up is meant to save time and always look good. But it can turn out badly. It depends strongly on the salon you go to, whether you have read up on this salon, and who you end up with. Here are a few tips to prevent failed PMU:
Removing old or failed permanent make-up
If you are wondering how old or failed PMU is removed, you have probably heard of a laser technique. This technique is becoming increasingly popular for removing old tattoos. If it has been pigmented in the first skin layer, we see it as pigmentation. If your PMU is already very old, it may have been placed deeper than the first skin layer. In this case the process takes longer.
Dissolving permanent make-up with salt: salt dissolves pigment. The nice thing about this technique is that no laser is involved. The salt is pigmented into the skin, comparable to the powder brows technique. This treatment is mild. While the old pigment is being dissolved with salt, the skin can turn white; the whiter the skin turns, the better the skin will heal and the more old pigment will disappear.
Old PMU unfortunately cannot be dissolved with salt if it has been placed in the third skin layer. The pigment then lies too deep. In this case you have to switch to the laser technique. When you want to remove permanent make-up with a laser technique, the laser will, as it were, scorch the skin away. This technique is painful and the skin is damaged after the treatment.
Nowadays there is an effective way to remove old PMU: dissolving it with salt. Salt dissolves pigment. The nice thing about this technique is that no laser is involved. The salt is pigmented into the skin, comparable to the powder brows technique. This treatment is mild and not comparable to a laser.
Dissolving permanent make-up with the laser technique
Do you have questions or would you like to know what the options are for your situation? Then contact us for a consultation. We are happy to help.
Read more about our Permanent Make-Up Treatment here.
My name is Isabella Levels, and with years of experience in the industry I love sharing my permanent make-up knowledge and techniques. My passion lies in accentuating natural beauty, and I hope to inspire others with tips and insights that can help both beginners and professionals in their careers!
When you want to remove permanent make-up with a laser technique, the laser will, as it were, scorch the skin away. The skin will recover by producing new skin and breaking down the lasered pigment. So it becomes an open wound again. This technique is painful and the skin is damaged after the treatment. The whole process takes quite a long time before the skin no longer contains any old pigment and has healed.
It can happen to anyone: your permanent make-up fails. The result ends up as something you would never want on your face. And now it's really there. What now? In this blog we tell you what can go wrong during permanent make-up. We show you what failed permanent make-up looks like and discuss solutions that can help you.