Skin is unpredictable, and no matter how carefully the aftercare steps are followed, many variables can produce an outcome that requires color adjustment, shape adjustment, or both.

But now that you have beautiful eyebrows, eyes and or lips, it would be nice to keep them this way as long as possible.

Products to Avoid

Today, there are many products and procedures designed to make our skin more youthful and beautiful. However, these are enemies of permanent cosmetics.

Products or procedures that claim to:

• Lighten

• Brighten

• Exfoliate

• Peel

• Slough off skin

• Remove age spots or freckles

…will also remove permanent cosmetics.

There is no difference between skin pigmentation whether it be an: age spot, tattoo, fine lines, or superficial scarring.

At times, you’re going to want to treat your forehead, but some home skin care products should never be used on your forehead if you have permanent brows. This is because no matter how hard you try and even though you avoid putting it directly on your eyebrows, it will at times get on them, and also it can migrate onto them unknowingly.

How to avoid this? Apply these products approximately where your crows feet are and below.

Permanent cosmetic brows should never be expose to the following products:

• Retinol

• Retin-A

• Hyaluronic acid

• Lytic acid

• Glycolic acid

• Hydroquinone

• Vitamin-C

What to Know When Using Professional Treatments

If you have professional facials, make sure the technician clearly understands to avoid getting product on the eyebrows and lips.

Laser treatments, professional chemical peels and microdermabrasion are procedures that the technician needs to be aware of in order to avoid your permanent eyebrows.

A typical result of not following these directions can be early fading, the pigment can be altered to a very odd color and a more extreme result would be pink scars or pink skin where the permanent eyebrows once were.

Outside Influences

Sunlight is not a friend of color and certainly not a friend to permanent cosmetics. The reason being is that ultraviolet rays cause fading.

Think about your couch that sits next to a window or the carpeting next to a sliding glass door. Over a period of time you will begin to notice the color looks faded where the sun hits it regularly. You don't notice it immediately, but at some point you realize that the sun has altered that color.

Even though color is considered permanent, it does fade and the more it can be protected from sunlight the longer you can go without having it touched up.

Protection Tips

Tips to protect your permanent cosmetics from the sun:

• Use 55+ sunscreen or above can help significantly

• Wear a visor or a wide brimmed hat

• Extra-large sunglasses can help somewhat but remember the sun shines from above so eyebrows can still be exposed

• Lips that have been treated can be protected with lipstick or lip balm with very high sunscreen value

• Wear foundation, sunscreen, or even pencil over the foundation with eyebrow pencil, this will help to protect your eyebrows

This may seem problematic but in the long run it's better for the longevity and keep in mind if your make-up does come off, you still have your permanent cosmetics. A little bit of care goes a long way.