[Kobiz Feature] What You Can Expect from Semi-permanent Makeup

SEOUL, Korea, Oct 24, 2013 (Korea Bizwire) – According to results of a survey conducted by job portal Career.com on 422 career women, the average time it takes for them to put on makeup before leaving home for work was 32 minutes. As many as 64 percent of respondents answered that they do it before leaving home, while 9.2 percent said they do it on the go and 8.5 percent during lunch break.

Maybe for this reason, it is not an uncommon sight in the subway car for a woman to put out her make-up kit on her lap and busily prepare her face oblivious of other people’s stare. As any woman with similar experience would attest, this is indeed a hard job to do. This is especially so during hot, humid summer days where the time-consuming job in the morning becomes of little use by lunch time.

To save time and effort in keeping themselves pretty and neat, many women are turning their attention to the technique of semi-permanent makeup, a cosmetic technique that employs tattoos as a means of producing designs that resemble makeup, such as eye-lining and other permanent enhancing colors to the skin of the face, lips, and eyelids. As it does away with the need to put on makeup every day, so many female professionals consider this a viable alternative to daily makeup.

Some of Korean women may associate semi-permanent makeup with the seagull-like artificial eyebrows popular in the 1980s. But today’s makeup technology has evolved so much for the past 30 years and it is now almost impossible for anyone to tell tattoos from makeup. In addition, the technique has advanced so much that the tattoo makeup can last two to three years until it fades.

The most popular semi-permanent makeup procedure is put on eyebrows and eye-lines. No matter how good the makeup material can be, it is of no use if it doesn’t fit on the individual’s facial shape and personality. Especially for eye-lines, it is important to pick the best one for each individual and thus is better to seek professional advice.

What’s notable is the eyebrow procedure is widely popular among men in their 20s and 30s. As the shape of eyebrows is one of the most important factors in determining impressions of you to other people, many men working in jobs requiring frequent contact with customers such as sales and consulting come to the doctor’s office for consultation.

Another popular procedure is that for lips. Those who went through a lip tattoo procedure can have gleaming lips even right after having meals. If you get right procedure depending on your age and skin conditions, you can have a healthy, beaming face with a simple application of lip balm. If you think you are thin-lipped, you can undergo a simple operation to make them look thicker without anyone realizing you went through the procedure. If you believe your complexion is too dark, you can put on orange-colored lip tattoo to make your face look brighter.

For those with problem of hair loss, there is a welcome new procedure called hairline semi-permanent makeup. If you have an M-shaped hairline from hair loss, you can have tattoos on the “empty” space to make it look more circular. Even though some bolding people may opt to go through hair implantation, it is expensive and takes time to look natural. In contrast, the hairline tattoo procedure is quicker and more inexpensive, which is why so many bold-headed choose the latter option.

Semi-permanent makeup can often be used as a medical procedure. Cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy or hormone therapy experience severe hair loss in their head and eyebrows. Others with visible scars or and white spots in the skin can take advantage of the procedure. It is also used to restore or enhance the breast’s areola, such as after breast surgery.

Although tattooing has become a standard procedure, you still need caution in choosing skilled professionals who can do the job safely. The bottom line is, you need to look for licensed professionals who will perform the procedure without the risk of infection. In addition, you need to ask whether the doctor uses color agents safe for human body.

Before taking the surgery, you need to stop taking Aspirin and vitamins for three to seven days before the operation. Especially you should avoid taking Aspirin as it helps blood circulate well, which means you may experience extended bleeding during the procedure. On the surgery day, you need to wash your face with water only while avoiding putting on oil-based makeup. For about a week before the surgery day, you should also not go to public bath, sauna, or swimming pool to help faster coloring.

Written by Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)

Lifestyle (Follow us @Lifestylenews_Korea)