Permanent Makeup and Microblading Contraindications 

 

WHAT IS A CONTRAINDICATION?

If it’s a term you haven’t heard before, a contraindication is a condition or factor that would make a medical or esthetic procedure dangerous to perform. In medical terms, it’s the opposite of an ‘indication’, which is a positive reason to use a certain treatment.

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WHAT IS PERMANENT MAKEUP?

(Semi) Permanent makeup (sometimes referred to as micropigmentation) is the process of implanting pigments into your skin to create a more natural, fuller look. Although the process is similar to tattooing, it’s not permanent and the effects begin to fade over a period of months. When done correctly, it’s a fabulous way to look and feel great by enhancing the overall appearance of your face. We offer Permanent Makeup for eyebrows, lips, eyeliner, and microblading.

 

CAN ANYONE HAVE SEMI-PERMANENT MAKEUP?

The short answer is no. While it’s suitable for most people, there are certain reasons that we can’t treat everyone. Before undergoing treatment, clients are always made aware that certain contraindications can prevent us from proceeding. These include:

• High blood pressure or heart conditions

• Taking blood-thinners such as aspirin or similar medication

• Diabetes

• Pregnant or lactating

• Glaucoma

• Herpes simplex

• Certain skin conditions e.g. rashes, blisters, psoriasis, or eczema

• Taking steroids such as cortisone, Accutane, Retin-A or Renova

• Allergy to makeup

• Acute acne in the treatment area

• Susceptibility to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation

• Hypertrophic scarring or keloids

• Spider veins or a birthmark in the area they want to be treated

• Blood disorder e.g. sickle cell anemia, haemophilia, or a platelet disorder

For some of the above, we may also ask that you provide written authorization from your doctor before we can proceed.

If any of these apply to you, let’s take a look at some in greater detail so you have a better idea of the specific contraindication and why it may prevent us from providing any form of permanent makeup:

 

BLOOD PRESSURE/HEART CONDITIONS

While this may not actually prevent you from being treated, we’d always ask for written permission from your doctor first. We list this as a contraindication as it’s always best to be on the side of caution as we won’t know the severity of your condition nor will we know what medication you’re taking. Furthermore, if you’ve suffered from mitral valve prolapse, have an artificial heart valve, or have any condition that means you need to take prophylactic (intended to prevent disease) antibiotics, you’ll also have to take them prior to being treated at our clinic. If you are required to take antibiotics before seeing a dentist, you will need to take antibiotics before a permanent makeup procedure.

 

BLOOD THINNERS

Blood thinners (anticoagulants), such as aspirin or other forms of medication you’ve either bought over the counter (e.g herbal supplements) or have been prescribed by a doctor, can increase the time it takes for the blood to clot. Bearing in mind that having permanent makeup involves breaking the skin, it is important that the time it takes for your blood to clot is within a reasonable timeframe. If not, you may experience increased bleeding time, higher than average bruising, and the pigments may not stick.

 

DIABETES

If you are diabetic, it could lead to complications with the healing process and increase the risk of infection.

 

PREGNANCY/LACTATING

There are a couple of reasons why any permanent makeup procedure should be postponed under these conditions. Your skin tone can change slightly during pregnancy which can make it more difficult to achieve the desired results in the long-term. While complications are extremely rare, if one did occur while pregnant, this can add an extra undesirable factor into the equation. For the sake of you and your baby, it’s always best to put off the procedure until after you’ve given birth and stopped lactating (breastfeeding).

 

GLAUCOMA

If you’re seeing us for permanent eyeliner, the procedure involves some mild pressure around the eye area, which could complicate your condition further.

 

HERPES SIMPLEX

People who suffer from “fever blisters” or cold sores are more susceptible to an outbreak after having treatments in and around their lips. While this can be helped with antiviral medication, careful consideration should be taken before contacting us.

 

SKIN CONDITIONS – RASHES, BLISTERS, PSORIASIS, ECZEMA, ETC.

Any skin condition such as the ones mentioned above can complicate things and can affect the overall long-term results of permanent makeup. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t be able to treat you, but we’ll need to discuss your condition in more detail prior to undertaking any treatment.

 

KELOID/HYPERTROPHIC SCARRING

As keloid/hypertrophic scarring is associated with adverse wound healing factors, you may not be a suitable candidate for microblading or any other form of permanent makeup treatment as a uniform healing process without additional complications is more desirable. The same would apply if you were looking to have a permanent tattoo at a tattoo shop.

 

TOPICAL STEROIDS, ACCUTANE, RETIN-A OR RENOVA

The ongoing use of topical steroids can lead to a thinning of the skin, particularly if used long-term. For this reason, permanent makeup is not recommended. If you have only been using topical steroids for a very short time, treatment is still possible afterward provided some time has elapsed after your last application. If you’re using any of the above medications, please speak to your GP prior to contacting us. If you have taken Accutane, you must wait one year after its completion before having a permanent makeup procedure

 

POST-INFLAMMATORY HYPERPIGMENTATION

Also known simply as hyperpigmentation, this often affects the facial area, particularly after the skin has been traumatized by certain procedures such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser treatments, etc. This also applies to microblading and other forms of permanent makeup.

 

SPIDER VEINS OR BIRTHMARKS

If you have either of these in or around the area you’d like us to treat, it can be problematic so you’ll need to discuss this with us in more detail first.

 

BLEEDING DISORDERS

If you suffer from this type of condition (such as hemophilia), your blood will not clot during your procedure and excessive bleeding may occur, above-average bruising can happen, and the pigment may not stick.

 

COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEM

If you have any condition or are undergoing any treatment that can compromise your immune system, you MUST speak to your doctor first. A good immune system is important for the healing process to go smoothly so anything that puts this in jeopardy should be avoided.

Any treatment, medication, or illness that compromises the immune system/healing would NOT make you a good candidate for micropigmentation procedures.

 

CONCLUSION

We hope the above information has given you more of an insight into the possible contraindications relating to microblading and permanent makeup. As we’ve mentioned several times in this post, it really is a good idea to have a chat with your doctor if any of the above conditions apply to you.