Permanent Makeup - The New Fountain of Youth

Permanent Makeup - The New Fountain of Youth

by Athena Karsant

The phrase, “the bloom of youth” brings to mind fresh faces, bright eyes, defined brows and lips with a colorful blush. However, now that baby boomers have hit middle age, and senior citizens are active into their later years, demand is skyrocketing for cosmetic services to keep us looking younger longer. The answer for more and more people today is permanent makeup.

Permanent makeup is a cosmetic tattooing procedure. Pigments are implanted in the skin to restore natural color and simulate conventional makeup. Lashes can be made to look darker and fuller. Missing, damaged or badly shaped brows can be given a more youthful appearance. Finally, lips which have thinned or lost their blush color can be recreated to look fuller and more vibrant. On younger clients, permanent makeup adds a professional polish which is truly dressing for success. On older clients, permanent makeup can visually take years off a face - with less trauma and at far less expense than cosmetic surgery.

Because it is long lasting and difficult to remove, it is essential to have permanent makeup applied by a highly qualified technician. As the field is generally unregulated, consumers need guidance in choosing a technician. Today, most professional permanent cosmetic technicians are members of the world’s leading, non-profit society devoted to the permanent makeup field, the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals. This organization sets standards of practice for its members which assures the public of the highest levels of professionalism. However, technicians do vary in their backgrounds so potential clients may wish to interview several technicians, just as one would when choosing any professional service.

Athena Karsant of the Cosmetic Imaging Center in San Francisco is a member in good standing of the SPCP who can be reached at 415-412-9700. For more information about permanent cosmetics, visit www.spcp.org.