Tattoos have moved into the cosmetic realm
Once only gracing the skin of rough-and-ready bikies and sailors, today mothers, aunts and grannies are also turning to tattoos. But these women do not sport pin-up girls or skulls and crossbones, instead they are opting for tattooed brows, eyes and lips.
Unlike regular body art tattoos, the cosmetic variety uses a subtle colour palette and aims to naturally enhance assets.
The procedure adds coloured pigment to the second layer of the skin – unlike a body tattoo which is added to the third layer – to ensure the results have a soft, muted tone.
“We call it permanent make-up because you don’t apply it every day. But it’s not permanent as such, it’s semi-permanent,” says cosmetic tattooist Michele Curran.
The design of the tattoo is considered at a consultation prior to the procedure. A topical anaesthetic is then applied to numb the area to be tattooed. Healing can take between four days and two weeks, and colour and shape adjustments are usually made between four to eight weeks after the initial tattooing.
Eyebrows are the most common procedure, however eye and lip liner and full lip colour are also popular. Subtle colours and textures always produce the best results. “It’s almost like taking 10 years off,” Curran says.
Typically, results last a few years before they need to be touched up.
According to experts, the procedure also has therapeutic merit. Scar camouflage or areola reconstruction after breast surgery, or creating the look of hair for alopecia sufferers or cancer patients are common.
Cosmetic tattooist and educator Val Glover-Hovan, who performs up to 40 treatments each week, believes cosmetic tattooing gives women the freedom to look their best at all times.
“It just gives them much more self-confidence,” she says.
Glover-Hovan has witnessed many changes since she began tattooing in 1985, especially regarding people’s attitudes.
“People were very suspicious of it. They had never heard of it and they were concerned about how it would look,” she says. “It took about eight to 10 years before people were starting to see it as an acceptable thing.”
But not everyone is sold on the idea.
University of Technology Cultural studies lecturer, Dr Meredith Jones, says cosmetic tattooing can cause problems, particularly when it comes to body image.
Jones says like Botox or cosmetic surgery, permanent make-up is another by-product of our obsession with makeover culture.
“We are actually living in a culture where the more purchased your body is, the more valuable your body is,” she says.
In extreme cases, she says cosmetic procedures generate unrealistic expectations and damage body image rather than improve it.
“Once people have their eyebrows done or their eyelids done they don’t usually sit back and say, ‘I’m OK now, now I’m perfect’. They go on to the next thing,” she says.
Glover-Hovan says she sometimes sees patients with unrealistic expectations.
“We get a lot of these girls who think that having their eyeliner or eyebrows done will fix their problems,” she says.
However, she maintains her patients are always carefully consulted to ensure all parties are happy with the results.
Curran agrees that proper consultation is a must before considering any form of tattooing. She adds that it is crucial to look for a fully qualified practitioner with proven results and excellent design skills.
Price should not dictate decisions, as cheap alternatives can work out to be expensive if correction, or even removal, is required.
