Semi permanent makeup - Beauty industry1584726

Semi permanent makeup (SPMU) is also known as micro pigmentation, derma graphic art or cosmetic tattooing.

Particles of natural and synthetic iron oxide colour pigments are implanted into the epidermis (approximately 1-2 mm below the skin’s surface) using a digital hand piece which holds a sterile needle.

Tattooed makeup has been evidenced since the Ice Age when natural materials were used as dyes and applied with bones or sticks.

Cleopatra is believed to have had tattoos! 4000 year old Egyptian mummies still show tattoos on their faces and bodies. Egyptian women rubbed gravel into their cheeks until they bled, then added dirt which healed giving a blusher affect. Tattooed mummies have also been discovered in Europe and Siberia and The Incas, Mayans and Aztecs were tattooing long before the Christian era.

Until the mid 1800s colours were obtained from many natural sources: animals, vegetation and minerals. In the1850s more permanent, safer artificial dyes were invented and more colorants and shades were available.

Western techniques were developed to define facial features; first accentuating eyes (eyeliner) and then defining lips. Tattooing equipment was simple: sharpened bamboo sticks or needles were hand-tapped into the skin, free hand.

Today the principle of inserting colour under the surface of the skin remains the same, yet the tools have become very sophisticated and the trade has become known as semi permanent makeup

The rotary machine made the technician’s job easier because it implanted pigment more evenly. However erection of this machine took time because each part except the motor was individually wrapped and sterilised for every client. Motors were heavy and machines were aggressive - the needles had a side to side then up then down action as they entered the skin and this could occasionally cause scarring and speed and power was difficult to control.

Today, digital precision tools provide pleasing results in a comfortable setting and result in minimal trauma. These machines also allow for some incredibly detailed work enabling modern technicians to replicate eyebrows hair by hair giving a three dimension effect.

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