Is permanent makeup like a tattoo?
I get this question several times a week. I have found that when I explain that it is tattooing and they are one in the same, I get some shocked responses. Clients are being informed by some permanent makeup artists that it is not a tattoo and permanent makeup is a totally different thing all together. This is unfortunate and it is misinformation, so I thought I might shed a little light on the subject.
Permanent makeup or cosmetic tattoo dates back seemingly to the ice age. Tattoos have been found on Egyptian mummies. Tattooing has existed for thousands of years in various forms for various reasons. Once mankind discovered ways to feed and shelter himself, self expression and the desire to implant pigment on a canvas of human skin evolved.
Yes, permanent makeup is a tattoo. Permanent makeup technicians may like to separate themselves from the word “tattoo” and replace it with “micropigmentation” but it is all the same thing. Permanent makeup is implanting pigment into the dermis and that process known as tattooing, has been around a very long time. The tools and pigments are interchangeable. In 2006 a study conducted by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology states that about 24% of American adults 18-50 are tattooed. This survey also determined that approximately 36% of American adults between 18-29 have at least one tattoo. Even though the popularity of cosmetic body tattooing is apparent, there are still social taboos and a stigma in general toward tattoos and the type of people who wear them. Many permanent makeup professionals try to sever the relationship between permanent makeup and body art cosmetic tattoo because there still is some negative emotion by the public about tattoos. What the individual permanent makeup professional feels is socially appropriate will determine how she promotes and explains what permanent makeup is. However, no matter the professionals opinion, the fact is, permanent makeup is a cosmetic tattoo.
With the rising popularity of the artistic body tattoo and permanent cosmetics, new and more advanced pigment delivery devices have emerged. It is not likely that one will encounter the primitive hammering of charcoal into the skin by means of sharp stone slivers or sharpened wood picks at the local tattoo shop. Today there are various machines and digital power supplies to aid in implantation. There are machines that cost thousands and employ a variety of safety and efficiency features. Thanks to the body art tattoo popularity, permanent makeup artists reap the benefits of the advancing tattoo technology.
Tattooing is currently the sixth fastest growing retail business in the United States Of America. With the single fastest growing demographic group seeking tattoo services being middle class suburban women.
So if one desires permanent makeup to define their eyebrows, cover a scar or make their lips more pink and calling it a “tattoo” is uncomfortable, then by all means, call it micropigmentation. Call your tattoo what ever you desire but permanent makeup is a genre of traditional cosmetic tattoo which is widley accepted in the United States. Today, tattoos are commonly seen on public figures, sports figures, fashion models, movie stars and most commonly the average suburban woman. So do not fear the “tattoo” word. It is doubtful that after your conservative eyeliner procedure that you will grow a taste for a skull with crossbones on your right arm because you already have a “tattoo”.
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This is very interesting. I have been thinking about permanent makeup for quite a while. I have talked with two permaent makeup girls in the past month and one really said that permanent makeup was NOT a tattoo. She said she used a special brush and pushed the makeup into the skin and called it the soft tap method. Is this a new thing? I am confused.
OK there is a brand of permanent makeup products, needles and pigments called SofTap. Perhaps that is what your technician spoke of. It is actually called the hand tool or manual method. Softap is just a brand that provides tools and they also provide education. They have a good reputation but I doubt that they would agree with your technician about not being a tattoo or just “pushing in makeup”. They sell cosmetic tattoo/permanent makeup pigments and special needle groupings to use in a manual hand tool. No machine is needed. I do manual method in addition to machine implanting. They both work in the same fashion. Simply put, fine specialized needles implant inorganic and organic pigment into the epidermis and dermis. This is the art of tattoo and permanent makeup. If Softap wants to dispute this fact, they are welcome but from what I know of this company, they do not promote their product or technique to be entirely different from tattoo. By the way, tattoo is not a bad word people!
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