The world of Permanent Makeup (PMU) is a journey. The continuous pursuit of creating flawless, long-lasting results has been an undertaking for every artist. When faced with inconsistent results, artists typically consider pigment choice and whether they need to overhaul their technique altogether. The truth, however, is that the key to obtaining a flawless healed result can usually be traced back to the smallest and often most overlooked detail: “machine setup”.

 

Dr Gunjan Shah, a well-established expert in the PMU industry, has repeatedly said that elevating your artistry doesn’t always mean you have to learn a completely different technique or approach. Sometimes it simply means you need to understand the physics of your equipment (i.e., the machines). One critical element that is often misunderstood is that of needle length.

 

In this article, we will take a closer look at what needle length means (as it pertains to PMU) and how it differs from needle depth; after doing so, we’ll explain the importance of understanding and mastering needle length in order to improve your consistency in pigments transferring onto the skin.

 

Two concepts are often confused when talking about PMU; needle length & needle depth. Many artists can get confused by these concepts; as a result, they can cause significant skin trauma or unpredictable pigment retention. 

 

The Great Confusion- Needle Length or Needle Depth

This has no effect on the depth to which the needle penetrates your skin.  Dr. Gunjan Shah states,  “Needle length is how far the needle shows out of the machine; it does not have any effect on how deep the needle goes into the skin“.

 

Needle Depth: This is how deep the needle goes into the skin (measured by the distance the needle travels into the client’s skin). To achieve the best retention, pigment must be placed within the upper dermis; too shallow, and it will exfoliate off during the healing process; too deep, and you can scar and/or have blowouts, with a cooler or ashier healed result. Dr Shah explains, “You control the depth using your technique.” The depth is controlled by the pressure you apply, the angle at which you hold the machine, and how fast you move your hand. 

 

Needle Length: Needle length is just how much of the needle is protruding from the needle cartridge when the machine is running. 

 

So, if needle length doesn’t control how deep you go, what is needle length?

 

The Relationship Between Needle Length and Pigment Flow

 

By changing the needle length on your machine, you can control how much pigment you get from your cartridge to the tip of your needle.

 

Dr Shah states, “The length of your permanent makeup machine’s needle is dependent upon how much pigment flow you want.“

 

Understanding how needle lengths relate to pigment flow allows you to set up your machine for the area you are tattooing and the look you want.

Increased Pigment Flow = Shorter Needle Lengths

When you set up your machine with only the short distance of your needle exposed, it places the needle’s tip much closer to the pigment reservoir. This placement helps enhance the effects of gravity and capillary action on the pigment being pulled down through the shaft of your needle.

 

When to use: A short-distance needle is great for when you need to put down a lot of colour as quickly as possible without causing undue trauma to the skin.

 

Best Uses: Dr Shah believes that a shorter-distance needle can help increase the amount of pigment you can deposit into the skin, making it “ideal for something such as lip colouring, or for performing softer shadings.” Because lip tissue has a large number of blood vessels and tends to swell, using a shorter needle can produce a more continuous wash of colour, creating beautiful, even saturation quickly with little trauma to the tissue, leading to predictable retention.

Longer Needle Length = Decreased Pigment Flow

In addition to increasing the length of the needle used for tattooing, too many times pigment will flow down the shaft of the needle until it reaches your skin. This increase in distance normally restricts the amount of flow available and limits the amount of pigment deposited into the skin.

 

When to use it: A longer needle is an important tool for when clarity and visibility are essential. Therefore, if you have a larger amount of pigments pooled at the surface, you cannot see how well your linework is done, and this can cause inaccuracies or incorrect depth.

 

Ideal uses: Dr Shah states logically, “A longer length of the needle allows for a smaller amount (of flow) as well as an improvement of precision in the application of any type of pigments, especially for areas like hair strokes for eyebrows.” 

Performing intricate nano strokes and clean fine lines for eyeliner requires sufficient length from the needle tip to your work area. This allows you to concentrate on proper application and depth for all nano strokes. This is necessary in order to ensure the strokes will heal well without being blurred.

Managing Variables Properly with Proper Tools

Understanding the process of performing a procedure is the first step; an artist also needs instruments that allow them to quickly and easily adjust the way their procedure is performed.

The ibrow Sparkle PMU machine provides artists with flexibility in their setups to meet their client’s skin conditions, as illustrated by Dr Shah. The dial next to the cartridge on the ibrow Sparkle allows you to adjust for high precision, either for a brow outline or a soft shading process, creating a smooth transition between the two by simply turning the dial to increase the needle length.

Controlling the Variables with the Right Equipment

To become proficient at Permanent Makeup (PMU), you must limit the number of variables you are working with. Recognising that the “length of the needle controls the flow” while the “depth of the needle is a product of your hand movement and technique” allows you to create intelligent adjustments throughout the process. 

 

By matching the flow of pigment to your technique, you ensure there is sufficient pigment to achieve saturation without pooling, yet enough precision to see what you’ve done. You will significantly reduce skin damage. Less skin damage means a smoother healing experience, reduced scabbing, and, ultimately, improved pigment retention. 

 

As Dr Gunjan Shah states, “When it comes to healed results, understanding the difference between the length of the needle and the depth of the needle is critically important.“