During pregnancy, your hormone balance and your body change. Permanent make-up during pregnancy is therefore a big question for many people. Read the blog to find out!
What happens to permanent make-up pigment during pregnancy?
While you are pregnant, an enormous amount changes in your body. Your body works extremely hard to provide this new little person with everything they need. Your body has to work twice as hard, for you and for the baby. On top of that, your body produces around 6 litres of extra blood during your pregnancy.
You also have to deal with a change in your hormone balance during pregnancy. Permanent make-up during pregnancy can be affected by this, because hormones are partly responsible for how PMU pigment is absorbed. If your hormones work differently, the pigment may be absorbed in a different way. This is also the case with permanent make-up during pregnancy. Because the hormones have changed so much, this unfortunately has a negative effect on the retention of permanent make-up pigment. The pigment is placed in the first skin layer, where the lymph vessels are also located; these are more active during pregnancy, so the pigment is rejected sooner. Normally you lose around 40-60% of the pigment after a first PMU treatment, but with permanent make-up during pregnancy you can easily lose more than 70-80%. In addition, having permanent make-up applied during pregnancy carries even more risks than when you are not pregnant.
Why do many salons not apply PMU if you are pregnant?
As we have just explained, a lot changes in your body, and especially in the first trimester your body needs time to have enough energy to give your baby everything. In addition, many salons choose not to apply permanent make-up during pregnancy. This is because the longer-term effects of what the pigment does to your foetus have not been studied. Permanent make-up pigment is placed in the first skin layer, but the pigment does end up in your bloodstream and therefore also reaches your baby.
Besides the fact that, according to the GGD and the RIVM, applying permanent make-up during pregnancy is virtually forbidden, it also carries another important risk. That is why many salons choose not to offer it at all. Whether you are 2 weeks or 8 months pregnant, we see no difference here.
What is a major risk of having permanent make-up applied during pregnancy
The major risk of having permanent make-up applied during pregnancy is that you are more likely to get an infection, because the hormonal changes in your body make you more sensitive and quicker to react to certain chemical substances, including pigment. If you get an infection, you often need to start antibiotics to stop or slow it down. Of course, this is something that cannot be taken during pregnancy. That is why it is not wise to have permanent make-up applied during your pregnancy.
We also ask ourselves: how important is it to do this now? You are pregnant! Enjoy it and focus on how you want your baby to grow up as healthily as possible, including in your belly! Permanent make-up can always be done later, after giving birth and breastfeeding!
Why not have permanent make-up applied while breastfeeding?
You have now read the blog and learned a lot about why we choose not to apply permanent make-up during pregnancy, but why not during breastfeeding either?
As we explained in the first part, your hormone balance has completely changed because of the pregnancy. Unfortunately, this has many negative effects on the retention of permanent make-up pigment and on healing. After giving birth, it usually takes at least 6 months before your hormone balance is stable again and you are no longer more sensitive to certain substances. So wait at least 6 months after giving birth.
While breastfeeding, you are often still in that recovery period. In addition, just as pigment from permanent make-up ends up in your bloodstream, this is also the case during breastfeeding. The longer-term effects of what this does to your baby have not been studied, since your baby drinks the milk that comes from your body. Permanent make-up during pregnancy is therefore not ideal.
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!