For most PMU clients, the main purpose of investing in a permanent makeup procedure is to be able to skip the tedious process of application, re-application, and removing makeup. Let’s admit it! Everybody does not equal patience and awesome makeup skills. 

But even if you love makeup and have skilled hands, your perfect eyeliner or eyebrows may not remain the same throughout the day! We eat, we sweat, we laugh, we cry, and our face is exposed to pollution and whatnot. Not to forget! At the end of the day, we ideally remove all makeup only to repeat the same the very next day. 

So let’s assume now that you finally decided to avoid jumping through hoops and you want to have your eyebrows and eyeliner done with permanent makeup. Now let’s tackle the next crucial question!

Is permanent makeup really permanent? 

Well, the straightforward answer to that is, NO. No tattoo or permanent makeup lasts forever. For PMU clients to appreciate their own investment, it is necessary that they know what to expect. Permanent makeup needs periodic retouch depending on how long the results last on an individual. 

One important point to be noted is that the results of the permanent makeup will appear darker than intended when it is fresh. After your healing period is over, the actual color will show up, meaning that the initial sharp contrast that you see will settle into subtlety. It will become the shade that you initially planned with your PMU artist. 

But the good thing is, Permanent makeup lasts long enough for an individual to feel that the investment was worthy enough! As people are learning about its advantages, PMU is getting more popular each day. Even in small cities. People happily invest a few bucks to buy convenience and to gain freedom from being overly conscious regarding their looks. 

How long does permanent makeup exactly last? 

In general, the time frame for needing a retouch varies from 6 months to 2 years. Let us dig a little deeper to explain it in detail. There is definitely some parallelity between tattooing and permanent makeup. Both involve settling pigments below the skin with a handheld device and needle. 

In fact, all PMU procedures namely microblading, micro-shading, lip blushing, etc fall under the umbrella term called “Micropigmentation” or “Cosmetic tattooing”. But actual tattooing involves the usage of stronger pigments. And the same cannot be used for permanent makeup. Nevertheless, all pigments injected into the skin fade long-term. 

What factors affect the longevity of permanent makeup?

The exact longevity of permanent makeup will depend upon one or combined factors of the following:

1. Exposure to sunlight
2. Exposure to free radicals
3. Environment pollution in the surroundings
4. Individual skin type and existing skin conditions
5. Skin care-regimen
6. Usage of medicines, supplements, etc
7. Health issues
8. Lifestyle choices
9. Type of pigments used

The longevity also depends on the technique and body part where permanent makeup is being used. Microblading results last the least amount of time. Things also depend on the artist’s skill, skin type, and pigments used. Compared to that, a permanent eyeliner could fairly last a long time. Also, PMU results will last shorter on an oily-skinned individual. Regardless of that, PMU is worth the investment even if the results fade after a certain point. You can use little daily makeup products to cover it up till you go and get a fresh retouch. 

Hopefully, your query got answered in this short blog. If the topic interests you, keep checking out our blog periodically as we keep uploading new ones very often. 

About Ibrow: 

We are India’s first exclusive 3D eyebrow enhancement and Permanent Makeup brand. If you’re on edge about getting a Permanent Makeup (PMU) procedure done, we would recommend checking out our Instagram page or our gallery to see happy clients.

If you are inspired to pursue PMU as a career, you are most welcome to attend our IAPMU Training sessions in selected cities! Click here to check out the details/contact us here.